Beautiful Oblivion
by argentenipinkini
Summary: Derek and Casey love to annoy each other, maybe too much. They are always invading each other's personal bubble, and it's fine, until Derek starts to realize that he might have, oh gosh, feelings? For Casey? One long night may change everything. Dasey
1. lies are lies in everybody's eyes

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life With Derek_, or _Eve 6_, or _The Academy Is_… and their song: The Fever, though if I did, I would totally go crazy with happiness.

A/N: I'm so glad that there are more than 600 _Life With Derek_ stories on here now. There needs to be much more. That is why I decided that I needed to add one of my own. And here it is, the title will probably change….:

**--Beautiful Oblivion--**

Chapter One: lies are lies in everybody's eyes

"Well, well, well," drawled Derek Venturi lazily as he relaxed in his bed, his legs stretched out in front of him and his arms bent behind his head. "What brings the princess into my humble dwelling?" he asked.

Casey MacDonald, his stepsister of about three years, took a look around his "dwelling" and rolled her large blue eyes. She had both hands on her hips and an annoyed expression on her beautiful face. Of course, Derek was used to seeing this expression on her face, and didn't expect anything less from her. He didn't, however, expect the word 'beautiful' to come to mind when thinking about her.

"You know I don't like it when you call me 'the princess'," she said. He smirked.

"That's not true," he started.

"I'd rather have you call me 'your Highness'," she cut him off, in a surprisingly joking manner.

"Isn't that the same?"

"That isn't the point."

"What _is_ the point, exactly?"

"The point is, it's Saturday night, our parents are out on a long deserved date, Edwin and Lizzie are both sleeping over their friends' houses and Marti is being taken care of by my grandparents." She paused, waiting for him to explain himself.

"So?" he asked. "I still don't get it." She sighed loudly in frustration.

"Ugh! You know what I'm talking about! I want to know why you're still here!"

"Are you telling me that I'm not allowed to be in my own house on a perfectly good night?"

"No, I'm wondering why on this night, this one night, when I finally get the house to myself, you have to be here. Why aren't you on a date?" Derek yawned slowly in response.

"I don't have one." Casey narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked suspiciously.

"Jeez, I don't know, Case. You're believed to be the brain in the family, what do you think it means?"

"Don't call me Case!" she said quickly. "Are you telling me that you, Derek Venturi, Mr. _Cool_, the most popular guy in school, couldn't get a date for a Saturday night, in this wonderfully new month of January?"

"Do you like hearing yourself talk, or do those really long sentences you like to make actually make any sense to you?"

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"You didn't answer the question."

"Well, if you must know, it wasn't that Mr. Cool _couldn't_ get a date, it was that he didn't _want_ a date."

"Why are you referring to yourself in the third person?" she asked, taking a step closer to his bed.

"Why do you ask so many annoying questions?" He sat up, putting his hands on either side of his legs, and leaning forward.

"Maybe because I like to annoy you." She took another step closer to him, so that that she was directly in front of his bed, practically touching it.

"Well, maybe I like to annoy _you_," he retorted, moving closer to the end of the bed, and actually putting his feet on the floor and his hands on his thighs. Her feet were now in between his.

"You do a mighty fine job doing that, I might add."

"I _do_ try."

"I'm sure."

That's when she stopped talking and noticed that she was close to him, _really_ close, and that she was bending her back forward slightly, with her right hand on her hip, her face extremely close to his. He in turn had his head tilted up, and he was staring at her with a firm expression of aggravation.

Casey had to admit, it was a rather weird position for them to be in, but not because her knees were touching his legs and their faces were so close, no. It was because she was actually the one looking down at him, not the other way around. He was the one craning his head just to keep eye contact. Just as she was formulating a good line in her head to say to him, she was surprised to feel his hands on her hips.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a higher than usually pitched voice. He swiftly picked her up and stood at the same time. Then he placed her on the floor in front of him, and smirked once more.

"Sorry, I just didn't like the view as much as I enjoy this one." So, he _had_ noticed the change in position.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"I still don't get it," she said, deciding to ignore the fact that he had just picked her up as easily as if she weighed nothing at all. "Why are you home tonight?"

"The same reason you are."

"And how do you know what my plans for the evening are?"

"It's easy. We're both teenagers, with a pretty nice house, an _empty_ house, and it's a Saturday night. You were probably planning on having some friends over, right?" He said that, but he didn't actually think that's what she was going to do. He rather thought that she'd be staying home, _studying_. He noticed her blush when he said the word 'friends'. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Not exactly," she said curtly, and then turned to leave. He grabbed her arm and spun her around so that she was facing him again. She put her hand on his chest in protest, trying to pull away from him.

"Oh no, no, no. You can't just leave after that. What exactly are you plans for the night, Casey?" This time she had a smug look on her face, and smacked his hand off of her arm.

"Well, if you must know, I have a date tonight." He couldn't help it. His jaw dropped.

"You're surprised, right?" she asked, and then pushed his chin up so his mouth closed.

"Who do you have a date with?" he asked quietly.

"That's none of your business," she said and turned to leave again. He followed her.

"_Au contraire_. I think it _is_ my business. You know, especially since I'm going to have to be the one to chaperone this little 'date' of yours." She walked out of his room and Derek was right on her heels. She stopped abruptly and turned around when he said 'chaperone'. He walked right into her.

"You? Chaperone?" she asked. "I don't think so." They once again didn't move from where they were and were in a very close proximity. It seemed that all of their fights ended up this way.

"Yes, well, since I'm going to be in this house, this house that we _both_ live in, all night, dateless, I'm sure that checking up on you every now and then won't hurt anyone." He paused for effect. "Too much," he added.

"Uh uh. That's not going to happen because you are not going to be around when Sam gets here." She realized her mistake right when she said it. Derek frowned.

"So, Sam's the one that's coming over?" She ignored him and tried to walk away. When she got to her bedroom door, she opened it, stepped in and turned around to close it, but Derek was right there in the doorway. He stopped the door from closing with his arm.

"Der-ek!" she yelled at him in that way she knew irritated him.

"You do know that you and Sam might keep trying over and over to date each other, but it's never going to work, right? And how long has it been since you guys officially broke up for the last time? Almost a year?"

"Why do you care?" she asked.

"You guys will just end up breaking up again, and who's going to be the one to have to hear both of you crying about it day and night?" he continued, ignoring her question. "That's right. You guessed it: _me_. I'm going to have to listen to Sam obsess about it every time we hang out, and then I'm going to have to come home and cover my ears with my pillow just to drown out the sound of you complaining to Lizzie about how it didn't work out again, but you were _so_ _sure_." He didn't look at her during his lecture until he stopped talking. She was grinning, evilly, in his mind.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Oh, no reason. That was a really long rant. I thought _I_ was the only one who ranted."

"Whatever, Casey. I don't have to explain myself to you."

"No, I guess you don't. And I don't have to explain myself to you." She closed the door in his face. He was about to knock on it, but changed his mind and trudged down the hall back to his room.

When he got there and settled down on his bed once more, he picked up his cell phone and started to dial a number.

"So, are you going to leave or not?" He looked up and then shut his phone, surprised that she was in his room once more.

"Why are you here again?"

"Why can't you just answer my question?"

"Why are you always asking me questions?" They both stared at each other, willing the other to look away first. Casey was determined not to lose. Derek finally looked away.

"Fine. I'll answer your question. _No_."

"No, what?"

"Another question? Come on!" He stood up from his bed once again and went to stand in front of her.

"You heard me." Derek rolled his eyes.

"No. I will _not_ be leaving the house tonight. I will be spending my Saturday night home alone with my best friend and my _favorite_ stepsibling." He reached out and ruffled her hair. All she did was pulled away and cry out in frustration, just like he knew she would. He just loved getting her all riled up.

"You know what, Derek?" she asked. He crossed his arms and put on his infamous smirk once more.

"Hmm?"

"You really suck!" she screeched, before turning around and stomping out of his room, slamming his door for good measure. This time he didn't go after her.

----------

"Hey, Sara? Yeah, it's Derek." The girl on the other end of the phone let out a little giggle.

"Hey Derek," she purred, in what she must have thought was in a sexy, seductive way. Derek almost grimaced to himself. He really did need to stop dating air headed sluts.

"Hi," he repeated. "Listen, I'm not going to be able to make it tonight."

"Why not?" He could visualize her pout in his head and it was hard for him to keep himself from laughing out loud.

"I just…something came up," he finished lamely. _Damn, I should have thought of something to say before I called her_, he thought.

"What is more important then our date tonight, Derek?" she asked and he couldn't help but think that he didn't like the way she said his name. He decided that he'd rather hear Casey say his name in that exaggerated way she always did when she was mad at him, and he _hated_ when she did that (or did he?).

"It's nothing really. I'm just not feeling that well right now." He coughed fakely into the phone and hoped that Sara was stupid enough to accept it as real.

"Oh, poor Derek," she crooned. "Do you have any idea how long I have been waiting for this date?" she asked.

"Um, no?"

"Well, let's just say, a looong time. But I'll keep waiting, I guess. Tell me it's worth it to wait," she added. Derek sighed; she took it as him longing for her but he was really actually irritated with her.

"Sure, whatever. I need to go," he said, and then promptly hung up. He winced as he did it, knowing that he probably shouldn't have hung up on her like that. He also knew that he probably shouldn't have cancelled the date. He had told Casey that he was staying in for the night, thinking that she, the studious girl that she was was going to also, so he was going to stay in. He didn't exactly know why he wanted to stay home with her, but when she had asked him his plans for the night, the words had just spilled out.

"That wasn't very nice." Derek quickly whipped his head in the direction of Casey's voice. She was leaning in his doorway, this time not actually in his room. He didn't know how long she had been there and wondered how she had opened the door without him noticing.

"What wasn't very nice?" he asked, completely perplexed as to why she was bothering him again.

"Oh you know, canceling on Sara on such short notice," she said smugly, her arms crossed at her chest, her legs crossed at the ankles as she leaned in the entrance of his door. "You must have a _weally_ bad cough," she added, putting on a voice one would use when talking to a young child.

Derek's face visibly paled. _Busted_.

Casey laughed and walked away. He could hear her continue to laugh as she made her way down the hall, all the way into her bedroom.

"How do I explain myself now?" he asked aloud, looking at his ceiling. He had no answer. He really didn't even know himself why he wanted to stay at home on a perfectly good date night, chaperoning his stepsister and his best friend. The one thing he did know was that it wasn't good, this weird feeling he was feeling in his stomach.

----------

A/N: Well,_ I_ know why he wants to stay at home. Please review!


	2. you're so content it hurts me

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life With Derek_, or _Eve 6_. I also don't own the _Boys Like Girls _song: Learning to Fall

A/N: So…it took me a while to come up with a title, but I finally did! Yay me! So, I sure hope people are still interested in this story.

**--Beautiful Oblivion--**

Chapter Two: you're so content it hurts me

Five minutes later, Derek's stomach was still feeling a little queasy. He decided that maybe it was because he was hungry.

_Actually, I'm _starved, he thought.

He looked at the clock on his dresser before he left his room. It was 6:08. He laughed to himself as he ran down the stairs. He was shaking his head when he arrived in the kitchen.

"Why are you so giddy?" Casey asked him. She was standing by the counter, taking small sips of her juice.

"I was just laughing at the fact that you expected me to be gone when it's only, like, six o' clock."

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, obviously it's too early to go on a date."

"That may be true for you, but not for everyone. Oh, and it still doesn't explain the fact that you _did_ have a date, and then cancelled on her so suddenly." She stepped away from the island, walked towards him and crossed her arms. "Why _did_ you cancel?" she asked curiously, staring up at him. He couldn't help but stare into her wide eyes before he answered.

"No specific reason," he said sluggishly, but she narrowed her eyes, letting him know that she didn't believe him, so he sighed dramatically and continued. "Fine. I realized that I had made a bad judge of character and decided it was best for me to end things before she got too attached to me." He stared at her, willing her to disagree with him. She broke the eye contact and then made a face at him.

"Yeah, sure." She was obviously still unconvinced.

"Whatever. Believe what you want."

"That's the thing. I don't know _what_ to believe. I can't come up with a good enough reason for why you'd ditch your date."

"Can we please stop discussing this? It's giving me a headache." He rubbed his temples for good measure. Casey just shook her head and watched him leave the kitchen.

For some reason, being in such close proximity to her was wigging him out. If only he could figure out why. Or, _admit_ why.

----------

"Casey, can you please stop sighing so loudly?" Derek asked faux-politely. He was sitting in his chair in the living room and Casey was sitting on the couch. He had the remote, of course and had chosen an old hockey game to watch.

"Can I help it if I can't stand to watch stupid hockey?"

"Well, you see, that's really not my problem. Oh, and hockey is not stupid."

"Can't we just watch something else? Don't you get enough '_hockey'_ at your '_hockey_ _practice'_?"

"Why did you just put air quotes on 'hockey' and 'hockey practice?" he asked, annoyed.

"No reason."

"Uh, uh. You can't just say something like that and not have a reason. Please tell me why. Are you trying to imply something?" She just rolled her eyes.

"No, _Derek_. I wasn't implying anything." She reached for the remote once more in a futile attempt to steal it away from him. He lifted it above his head so she couldn't reach it.

"De-rek!"

"Just answer the question, Casey! Are you saying that you don't think I'm a good hockey player?"

"I wasn't!"

"Good. Plus, you wouldn't know, anyways. You don't know anything about hockey, and it's not like you come to any of my games."

"Well, sorry, I didn't know you wanted me to come to your games!"

"I don't!"

"Well I don't _want_ to go to them!"

"Fine!"

"Awesome. I'm glad we cleared that up."

"Me too."

They were both quiet for a minute. Then, she reached over and grabbed the remote from his now limp fingers.

"Hey! Give that back!" She quickly changed the channel.

"Relax, you can have it back when Sam gets here. You can watch TV _all_ night for all I care."

"Why? What do you plan on doing?" Casey just smirked and continued to flip through the channels. Derek's heartbeat picked up. "_Casey_! Answer me." Actually, he didn't really want to hear her answer.

"Why do you care? We're just going to be hanging out. Probably in my room," she added.

"But I thought it was a date."

"It _is_ a date…" she trailed off. He motioned for her to finish her sentence. She groaned. "Fiiine. It's _kind_ of a date. We talked about it, and we decided that we were just going to see if we could make it through a night together."

"What?!" Casey rolled her eyes.

"A night of hanging out, you dufus. Without fighting." Derek's heart finally started to go back to its normal speed.

"But you know, if it all works out well, we might be getting back together." Casey sighed to herself and grinned. She wasn't looking at him, though. She was staring at the TV screen. She didn't see Derek's face turn from bored indifference to a deep frown.

"Yeah, well, whatever you do, please don't make out in front of me, or anything. I don't want to have to throw up my dinner."

"Eww. First of all, why are you so gross? Second, you haven't even had any dinner. And third, I wouldn't _want_ you to see us kissing. Plus, I doubt we will." Derek's interest was baited, once more.

"Hmm? What's that?"

"Well, it's just like it's a first date all over again, right? And it might be too awkward still for us, to...do that," she explained. Derek scoffed.

"Oh, come on. If I know Sam, and any hot blooded teenage guy in general, he's totally going to want to make out with you."

"Can you not say 'make out' so much to me, please?"

"What, would you rather I say 'kissing'?"

"Yes."

"Well fine. I can almost assure you that Sam is going to want to kiss you." Casey turned towards him.

"Really?" she asked.

_What? Why did I just say all of that_? Derek asked himself. _Ugh. I'm so stupid. Now she's going to be thinking about kissing him._

"Well, actually. I don't know. But I think it's a good idea that you…don't kiss him. You're right. It's _too_ soon." Casey shook her head.

"Well, now I'm not so sure. I mean, we did have our _first_ kiss pretty soon. Like, right when we found out we liked each other. We hadn't even been on a date yet." Derek really didn't want to hear all of this, but she continued. "Wow. That was a great kiss." He could tell that she was reminiscing from the dazed look that appeared on her face.

He snapped his fingers in front of her.

"Hey, Casey. Snap out of it, okay? I think I've heard enough." She shook her head as if clearing her thoughts.

"What? Oh, right. I don't even know why I'm telling you all this. Or discussing any of this with you at all."

"Maybe it's because deep down, you think I care. Or, you _want_ me to care."

"Ha. Sure."

"Maybe."

"Well, do you?" Derek lied.

"Nope!"

He then stood up, and fled the living room. He didn't want to be in the same room with her any longer. Plus, she did have a point. He hadn't had any dinner yet and was still hungry. His stomach chose that precise moment to growl its agreement.

----------

Derek was still in the kitchen fixing himself a sandwich and going over everything he had said to Casey in the past hour when he heard the phone ring. And ring again, and again.

"Casey! Will you pick up the phone!" he yelled.

"I can't find it!" Derek rolled his eyes and followed the noise. It was somewhere in the kitchen. He found it and answered.

"Hello?"

"Derek?" It was Sam.

"Sam, my buddy. How goes it?"

"Derek, why are you home right now? I thought you were going out with that girl."

"Nope. Change of plans."

"Really…well maybe that's a good thing because you probably wouldn't have been able to make it back home tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"Um, have you looked outside lately?" Derek shook his head and padded over to the sliding glass door in the kitchen. He pulled the curtain away and looked outside. There was snow everywhere, and it was still coming down hard. It also looked extremely windy and he wondered how he hadn't heard the howling until right then.

"Whoa. I did not know that there was supposed to be a storm tonight."

"I knew it was going to snow, but I wasn't expecting this," Sam said. "I wouldn't have made plans with Casey if I had known there was going to be a blizzard or whatever."

"You were the one that made the plans?"

"Well. A little. I mean, I approached her first. But we both made the plans to hang out tonight." Derek liked what he heard. A little.

_That means that Casey wasn't the one to initiate the date. Sam had._

"Really."

"Yeah. But I guess we're going to have to reschedule."

"Wait, so does this mean that you're not coming over?" Derek asked, trying desperately to cover the glee in his voice.

"Well, duh. That's why I'm calling. Can I actually talk to Casey please?" he asked. Derek shook his head.

"Nah, that's okay. I'll tell her for you, man."

"No, I'd really like to tell her my—" but Derek cut him off.

"Talk to you later Sammy boy!" he said and quickly hung up the phone. He took a large bite of his sandwich and turned around. Casey was standing at the door of the kitchen, and she didn't look too happy.

"What?' he asked, his mouth still full. She had her arms crossed over her chest.

"Was that Sam?" she asked. He nodded, and took another bite.

"Why didn't you give me the phone? He wasn't calling for you."

"Yeah, I know, but he gave me a message to give to you." Casey narrowed her eyes.

"What did he say?"

"He wanted me to tell you that he wasn't going to be able to make it tonight."

"What?" she asked incredulously. "He did not!" Derek grinned and nodded his head. He walked back over to the sliding glass doors.

"Actually, he did. He said he's not going to be able to make it due to the _total_ snow storm happening right outside." He pulled the curtain back for her to see. Casey's mouth dropped open.

"Are you serious?" she ran over to where Derek stood and looked outside. "But it was only supposed to snow a _little_!" she complained. Derek smirked.

"Oh well. Guess it's just you and me tonight." He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. Casey was too shocked about the snow to care that he was touching her. They both just stood there in front of the glass, staring out at their deck and the backyard. Derek was grinning and still chomping on his sandwich, and Casey was glaring at the snow.

----------

A/N: Reviews are nice. Oh, and I really do wish that there were more LWD stories. Please write some, people. PLEASE!


	3. turn off the lights

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life With Derek_, or _Eve 6_. I also don't own the _Fall Out Boy _song: Of All the Gin Joints in All the World.

A/N: Just a couple things: (----------)—those represent time passing, whether it be a short or long period…I don't know if Canadians use Pine-Sol…all the chapter titles are lines from songs picked out by me and they relate back to the chapter in some way…and…I Tarantino-ed this chapter! So, read away! And don't forget to review, good, bad…feedback is splendid and helps.

**--Beautiful Oblivion--**

Chapter Three: turn off the lights and turn off the shyness

_An Hour Later_

There was an unexpected crashing sound, the sound of plastic and liquid hitting the floor and then an aggravated, high pitched scream. Then, the sound of two bodies smacking into each other and falling. That was followed by silence; a _very_ short silence.

"DE-REK!"

----------

_An Hour Before_ (same time as Last Chapter)

"Ugh, I can't believe the one inch of snow that was supposed to come down tonight has turned into a full out snow storm." Casey had her head in her lap as she said this. The two teenagers were once again in the living room.

"I actually don't mind the extra snow that much," said Derek. "Now I'll be able to go snowboarding with real snow next weekend. It's sure to stay until then, and possibly accumulate even more in a week." He rubbed his hands together excitedly. "There's nothing better than real powder."

Casey lifted her head and looked at her step-brother.

"Well, that's just wonderful for you, Derek. However, I fail to see the positive side of this snow, at least for tonight. I had specific plans, but now they're ruined." She made a sour looking face. "And now I'm forced to spend the rest of the evening with you."

"Wow, stop it with the compliments, Case. You're making me blush."

"You know I don't like it when you call me that," she said, looking directly at him. He looked offended.

"Well, I don't see why I'm not allowed to call you by your oh-so-cute little nickname," he replied, putting on a mock expression of sadness. "Everyone else calls you Case."

"Yeah, but you're not exactly everyone. Everyone else is allowed to call me by my nickname because unlike you, I actually like them and enjoy hearing them call me that. When you call me 'Case', I just want to…"

"Wow, the compliments just keep on coming, don't they!"

"Oh stop."

For some reason she was the one with the remote control. Derek leaned over the arm rest from in his chair and put his face extra close to Casey. She had the remote, and she had also opted to sit on the side of the coach closest to him.

"Sorry, Case, but I don't think I'm going to stop calling you that. I enjoy the look on your face when I do too much." Then he grabbed the remote from her hands.

"Hey!"

"I do believe you said that I would be able to have the control tonight. Actually, I think your exact words were 'all night, for all I care.' Isn't that right?"

"That was before, when Sam was still coming over!"

"Too bad."

"Come on, Derek. Can't we at least agree on something to watch together?"

"I doubt we'd ever be able to come to some sort agreement when it comes to television, or anything for that matter," he stated.

"Can't we at least try?"

"No." Casey huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms.

"Well, fine. I'll just go upstairs and read a book," she said, while standing up and walking to the stairs.

"Good plan," said Derek as he smirked and settled more into his chair. Casey just huffed again and stomped up the stairs.

----------

Casey walked into her room and shut the door softly to make up for her loud entrance. Once again, Derek had pushed her buttons and gotten her so mad that the only solution was to storm from the room and get away from him. Now, she stood in front of her bookcase and contemplated which book to read.

Sure, she had wanted to watch some good TV but she much preferred reading anyways, so it didn't really bother her. The thing that bothered her was Derek. _Always_ Derek. He had been bothering her for over a year now. There were many ups and downs in their step-sibling relationship, more downs by far, but they had both turned sixteen and for some reason they still couldn't come to some sort of permanent truce. He still drove Casey crazy, and she still spent many sessions with Paul complaining about him.

"Whatever, it's not like there's anything good on TV on a Saturday night," she said out loud, as if the TV really was her problem.

"You know what, you're actually right."

Casey turned around, a small book in her hand.

"Back to bug me so soon?" she asked him. "Can you actually hurry up and say what you need to so that I can get started on my reading?" She held up her book and pointed to it like he was stupid.

"That depends…" he started, but didn't finish his sentence. Casey waited, but then just sighed.

"On what?" she baited. He just grinned devilishly.

"I was just thinking of some fun things we could do to pass the time…" Casey arched her eyebrow at him.

_Where is he going with this_? she asked herself.

"Um, what—what do you have in mind exactly?" she asked, a little nervous for his answer.

"Well, I was thinking that we could, you know…" he trailed off again, still grinning.

"What, Derek? Spit it out!"

"Cook! Let's cook something! Cookies!" Casey let herself laugh.

_Jeez, why does he have to make everything sound so…dirty_? She didn't want to admit to herself what she had really been thinking before he actually mentioned cooking.

"You want to bake cookies?" He nodded.

"Yeah, definitely. Let's go," he said, and then walked away leaving Casey still standing in her bedroom, clutching onto her copy of _Pride and Prejudice_.

-------------

_Yes! _he thought, punching the air with his fist._ I totally freaked her out. She so thought that I was suggesting that we, we_…Derek stopped his thoughts before he started to daydream again. He just laughed to himself and walked down the stairs and into the kitchen.

He couldn't help it, he loved to get her all riled up, even at the expense of possibly embarrassing himself, or letting his little crush become more apparent to her.

_Oh God, crush? No way_, he thought. He shook his head. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no_!

Casey came into the kitchen just as he was having the argument with himself in his head.

"Okay, so let's do this. But first," she went to a cupboard, "let's make sure we have all the ingredients that we need."

"Sure thing." Derek proceeded to open random cabinets while Casey checked for eggs.

"Um, Casey?"

"Yeah, Derek?"

"What exactly should I be looking for?"

----------

"What do you plan to do with that?"

Derek gave her an innocent look. He was holding an extra large can of whipped cream.

"It's for the cookies," he answered simply.

"Derek, you know that cookies don't need whipped cream. We already went over the ingredients. And also, eww. Why would you want your cookies to have whipped cream? Over do it much?" Derek rolled _his_ eyes at her.

"Casey, Casey, Casey. Obviously you don't know me, or guys in general. We men, we like food. Especially food mixed with other kinds of food. Sometimes the combinations are unconventional, but that's part of the mystery. Finding out a new taste, seeing what goes good with what."

"What goes well?" she corrected.

"Whatever! The point is, if I want whipped cream with my chocolate chip cookies, I will have whipped cream with my chocolate chip cookies." Casey lifted up her hands in surrender.

"Okay. Whatever you say. It's your prerogative."

"It _is_. Plus, that's the great thing about whipped cream! You can put it on anything!"

------------

"Okay, I don't know how that happened."

They were both still in the kitchen, the cookie dough hadn't even been started, and they were staring at the floor.

"You can never admit anything is your fault, Derek."

The whipped cream can, which was extra large due to its Family Value size, had rolled underneath the crook between the floor and the bottom cabinets. There was whipped cream all over the floor.

"Um, you dropped it," Casey said in a 'duh' tone.

"Um, no I did not. It must have rolled off of the counter."

"Yeah, well, you better clean it up, because I'm sure not going to."

"Oh come on Casey, you know that it's going to have to be mopped up. I know you won't let me just wipe it. _And_ you know that I hate mopping. I almost never do it."

"Yeah, I know, but I'm still not doing it. It was your idea to have the whipped cream out and look how that turned out." She pointed to the floor.

Apparently when it fell, the cap had bounced off and the can had exploded. That's why there was white cream all over the floor.

"Here, I'll do one thing." She bent over, and picked up the can. It was dented. Casey threw it into the trash can.

"Oh come on, Casey. I'll even bring out the stuff for you. Why can't you just clean it up?"

"Are you serious? I'm not going to clean up _your_ mess! Now stop talking to me." She turned around and headed to the other side of the counter where all the cookie stuff was. "I'm going to make our cookies now." She paused. "Hold on. Something didn't sound right about that sentence." She looked back at him. "If you don't clean that up, all of the cookies will be _mine_."

Derek's eyes narrowed.

"You wouldn't." She met his glance.

"I would."

"That's lame," he said. "The cookies were my idea. Plus, I know you're not going to eat a dozen cookies all by yourself."

"So what? If you don't clean that mess up, I won't let you help make them, and if you don't help make them, they're not yours." She started to unwrap the butter. "You'd have to beg me to change my mind," she added. He gave her his smirk and started to walk towards her.

"Really? _Beg_?" he asked. She put her hand out in front of her, forbidding him to come closer to her.

_Why is he smirking like that at _me?

"Oh no. Go back over there. You're not allowed on this side of the counter."

"Fine. I'll do it, but I'll have you know, I'm only doing it for the cookies."

"Mmm, hmm," she said as she started to work on putting everything together. He left the kitchen to go get the mop supplies. When he came back, she was mixing the eggs.

"You know, Derek, I didn't think you'd give in that easily," she mused as she added the eggs to the flour.

"Oh whatever. I know that resolved look on your face. I knew you wouldn't clean it up for me."

"That's not entirely true," she admitted, stirring some more. "If you had really not cleaned it up by the time mom and George were due to arrive home, I would have."

"Oh right, Casey the neat freak."

"Hey! I just like to keeps things in order."

"I know." He went over to the sink and started to fill it up with water. The sink just so happened to be right behind where Casey was standing.

As the bucket was filling with water, Derek searched under the sink for some soap. He found some, grabbed it and stood up.

"So, how much of this stuff should I use," he asked Casey. She turned around and looked at the plastic bottle of liquid dish soap.

"Why would you use that? Don't we have any Pine-Sol? I think that'd be much better to mop the floor with."

"Aww, come on. This is _soap_. What's wrong with soap?"

"Never mind. Do what you want."

"I will." He grabbed his bucket, walked to the other side of the island and put the bucket on the counter.

"Why are you leaving that there?"

"I'm not; I'm just putting it there for a second."

"Derek, you don't put the bucket you're going to mop with on the kitchen counter. It's just not right, or sanitary."

"I thought you were letting me do what I want?"

"_Fine_." She forced a smile.

Derek proceeded to squeeze the dish soap directly onto the floor. Casey's eyes widened as she watched him do this.

"Derek, what are you doing now?" she asked frantically, practically running over to his side.

"Casey, calm down, everything is fine, it's better if I just put it on the—" As he tried to rationalize what he was doing, he was motioning with his hands and somehow hit the bucket filled with water. He ended his sentence with an "Ow!"

There was an unexpected crashing sound, the sound of plastic and liquid hitting the floor and then a loud, high pitched scream. Then, the sound of two bodies smacking into each other and falling on the tiles. That was followed by silence; a _very_ short silence.

"DE-REK!"

----------

"I honestly don't understand how we get into these situations," said Casey. They were both still sitting on the kitchen floor, backs up against the cabinets.

"You mean, 'sticky' situations?"

"Oh, ha-ha. You're so—"

"Punny?" Casey let out a small laugh despite herself. Derek laughed, too.

"Ugh, this is so gross."

"It's just whipped cream. And dish soap. And lots of water."

"I don't understand why you had to put the water on the counter, and then put the soap on the floor, and why, why oh why you needed whipped cream in the first place."

"I already explained myself."

"Not about the first two things."

"It was just an accident."

"Derek, we both slipped on your disgusting water/soap/whipped cream combo, or concoction, or whatever."

"Yeah, Marti would be proud."

"Sure, but we're _sitting_ in it. She never used to roll around in _her_ self-made products."

"We may have both slipped and hit eachother, but we certainly didn't _roll around_ in it," he said, exaggerating the "roll around" part in such a way that made Casey blush slightly.

"You know what I mean."

"Uh, huh. Maybe we should get up."

"Yeah." He stood up first and then astonishingly offered his hand to her.

"You really think I'm going to trust you to help me up?" she asked, looking at his hand incredulously.

"Casey, just take my hand." She let out a defeated sigh and grabbed it. He pulled her up and then they were just standing in front of each other, both of them wearing clothes that were partially wet and sticky and soapy in certain places.

"You've got some stuff in your hair," he told her, reaching up letting his hand touch her hair, wiping the whipped cream.

"Um, thanks," she said quietly. "Although, I think you just rubbed it into my hair even more. But I guess that doesn't matter since I'm going to have to shower anyways." She knew that she was babbling, but for some reason, he was making her feel a little uncomfortable.

_Maybe it's the weird smell of everything. It's making me feel lightheaded._

"Casey." She looked up at him hestitantly. He had a strange look on his face that he never had on when looking at her. She didn't know what it meant.

"What?" she asked shyly.

_What is with his face_? she thought.

_What am I doing_? he asked himself as he stepped forward, even closer to her.

Suddenly the lights shut off.

----------

A/N: Notice how Casey had the whole couch, but she still chooses to sit closest to Derek and his chair? Other things, too…sorry if this chapter was kinda boring, but how'd ya like the cut off? haha


	4. you can't be close enough

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life With Derek_, or _Eve 6_, or the _Hellogoodbye _song: All of Your Love

A/N: I think it's funny that everyone knew I was gonna use P and P. Well, it's my fave book, and it fit….So, I got some inspiration from some people, so I decided to write this next chapter today. Yay! While you're reading this, make notes of my mistakes, spelling, grammatical, mechanical, all of the cals—and then tell me about them later. I feel like I didn't edit and revise this chapter that much. Plus, I'd like to read more constructive criticism from people. Thanks for the reviews!

**--Beautiful Oblivion--**

Chapter Four: you can't be close enough unless I'm feeling your heart beat

The electricity was off. The house was pitch black. The refrigerator was making a sound like it was dying, which it kind of was. The wind was howling so loudly from outside that every once in a while it sounded like a whistle. In the midst of all this, the two teens, Casey and Derek, home alone on a Friday night and during an awful snow storm, were standing mere millimeters apart in a dark kitchen.

"Well this is weird," said Casey, stepping away from Derek and making her way towards the desk in the corner of the room.

Derek let of the long breath he had been holding and stayed where he was.

"You're not wrong." He ran his hands through his hair.

_Holy shit, what was I _just_ about to do_? he thought frantically peering over at Casey's bent over back. He could make out her movements in the dark, and from all the noise she was making, drawers opening and closing, he assumed that she was searching for some candles.

"Um, Casey, you're not going to find any candles in there."

"I'm not looking for candles," she said, standing back up and grinning. He couldn't see her of course.

"Matches!" she exclaimed and quickly ripped one out, lighting it easily. A faint glow immediately filled the small area around her. Derek watched her walk back towards him, the small flame dancing with her movements and then swiftly blowing out.

"Aww, man," spoke Casey softly. Derek laughed.

"You didn't really think that would make it all the way over here, did you?" he asked. She was standing near him again.

"It could have."

"Sure." He walked to one of the drawers across the room. "Or we could just use these," he said, pulling out two flashlights. He turned one on and placed it at the bottom of his chin. "_Boo_." Casey actually laughed.

"You're not scared?" he asked her. They walked towards each other and he handed her the other flashlight. She turned it on and copied him.

"No, but we'll probably have to tell some ghost stories now." For a few seconds they just held their flashlights near their faces and looked at each other. Then Casey looked away and started to leave the kitchen.

"We should look for those candles. Who knows how long the power will be out?"

"Yeah. Candles. Good idea."

As Casey walked out of the kitchen, she continued to talk.

"So, I'm pretty sure that my mom put them under the china cabinet…Ah, here are some candle sticks!" she cried out triumphantly. Derek just leaned against the wall in between the kitchen and the dining room.

"Yippee," he said.

"What's _your_ problem?" Casey asked, frowning. She had two candlesticks in each of her hands. "And where are the candlestick holders?"

"Nothing, and wouldn't they be with the candlesticks?"

"Right—can you go get the matches? I left them in the kitchen."

Derek walked back into the kitchen while Casey got out more candlesticks and their holders. She found a couple regular candles in glass jars and took those out too. Then, she proceeded to put each candlestick into its respective holder.

"Derek? Where are the matches?" He started to walk back over to her and pointed his flashlight in her eyes.

"Hey, stop that." He did and the handed her the matches.

"Here."

"Thanks." She started to light each candle, and soon, the dining room was filled with a soft, ambient light.

"Well, I guess we should disperse these around the house; put them into the rooms we're going to be walking through," she said.

"Yeah. Good idea." He picked up two candle sticks and placed them in the living room. She did the same but brought them into the kitchen. After five minutes, there was a faint glow around the house, but it was still dark and shadowy.

"So," he said when they met up in the living room.

"So…how long to you think the lights are going to be out?"

"I don't know. I mean, we're not exactly sure what happened, right? It could just be the snow, or maybe the wind caused a tree to fall on a power line or maybe—"

"I sort of get it, now. Thanks."

"Jeez."

"So what do we do now?" she asked.

"Well, we can't watch TV," he ignored her sarcastic "Duh," "and we can't really play any games, besides cards, because of the lighting and the fact that there are only two of us…"

"I don't want to play cards with you. You'll just cheat. Plus, I don't want to play any games. I think I'll just read my book actually."

"With just a flashlight and some candles? You sure you want to corrupt your precious eyesight and risk losing it sooner rather than later and then find that you won't be able to read your books as much as you want to anymore?"

Casey just stared at him.

"I still can't believe _you_ act like you don't like to hear yourself talk. And you make fun of _me_ for my long sentences. You're so one to talk."

"Oh, whatever. Go read your stupid book."

"Um, excuse me. My book is _not_ stupid. You don't even know what I'm reading."

"That's because I don't care about what books you choose to read."

"Awesome."

"It is."

"What are _you_ going to do?"

"Go change my clothes."

"And then?"

"Listen to music, I guess. What's it to you?" She ignored his last question.

"You're lucky that iPods are battery operated," she said, but then tilted her head in a fake, sympathetic way. "I sure hope you charged her up." She knew he had been listening to it all morning and many times throughout the day. Plus, she knew that he rarely remembered to plug it into his computer to charge it.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I _did_," he answered, and then ran upstairs, thinking to himself, _Shit, what am I going to do now_?

Casey grinned happily, feeling like she had achieved _something_, whatever that was. She grabbed her flashlight and also headed upstairs. She walked into her bedroom, changed into some pajama shorts and a tank top and grabbed her _Pride and Prejudice_ book. She read her book for about five minutes before she got fed up with it and started to wonder what Derek was doing just one wall over.

----------

Derek was sitting on his bed, staring at his wall. He had changed his shirt, but still remained in his slightly sticky jeans. He didn't really care, though because he was deep in thought.

_I wonder what would have happened if the lights hadn't shut off right when they did. Casey and I were about to kiss, I'm pretty sure._

He picked up a hackey sack that was on the floor by his feet.

"Well, _I_ was going to kiss her," he admitted out loud, albeit quietly. "Who knows what she was thinking?" Then, he threw the hackey sack at his door, hard. It made a loud bang and then he heard a surprised squeak.

"What was that?" said Casey's voice, slightly alarmed. He jumped off of his bed and quickly opened his door.

There stood Casey. She looked different than before, but he realized that was just because she was wearing pajamas and had put her hair up in that cute messy way she always did before going to bed.

"What do you want?"

"What was that noise?" she asked instead. "Why are you throwing stuff at your door? Going through some tough teenage angst?" she asked snootily as she swept into his room without permission and sat on his bed.

"I thought you were reading your book."

"I was. I got bored."

"Ah, so you were reading a _boring_ book. That's almost the same as reading a stupid one." Casey rolled her eyes.

"Actually, it's not a boring book, and I know this because I've read it several times before."

"If you've read it so many times, and you say it isn't boring, then why are you in my bedroom, bothering me and telling me about you're stupid book?"

"First of all, it isn't stupid, for the last time! Second of all, it's not boring. God! Why am I always repeating myself to you? Anyway, _I'm_ bored. I don't feel like reading. I want to do something."

"You want to do something, so you came into my bedroom?"

There was a long pause. That was when they both became more aware of the dimness of Derek's room.

"Wow, Casey, I'm flattered, really, but—" He was silenced when Casey got up from his bed and punched him. In the gut. He bent over a little and clutched his stomach.

"Ow, what was that for?" Casey smiled sweetly at him as he looked up at her.

"No reason, I guess, since you're asking." He rubbed his stomach dramatically.

"Oh, come _on_. I know you can take much more than my teeny, tiny punch."

"I don't know, Case. That was a pretty tough sock you gave me. It _might_ bruise. When'd you get the guns?" She flexed for him and he gawked appreciatively at her slim but somewhat muscular arms.

"What? I work out to keep in shape for dance. You know this. Oh, and—"

"Yeah, yeah, don't call you Case…Why are you in my bedroom, again?" he changed the subject briskly. Since he didn't ask it in quite the same tone as the first time, she decided to answer him truthfully.

"I don't know." He stared at her. She shrugged. "I was thinking, maybe, we could talk?" she asked, trying to keep a straight face. Even she knew that what she was asking sounded ridiculous. She sat down on his bed again.

Derek laughed, loudly and then sat down beside her.

"As good an idea as that may sound, there isn't really much for us to talk about. We don't really have anything in common, and by the way, why _would_ you want to talk?"

"I don't know!" she yelled in frustration, turning to him. "I just want the power to come back on so I can take a shower, read my book with actual lighting and then go to bed in peace."

"Then why are you in here?" he asked her in the same urgent manner.

Casey's blue eyes went large as if she had a thought, and then, out of nowhere, she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and then pressing her lips firmly to his.

Derek gasped loudly, completely taken aback by her sudden burst of passion. But he wasn't going to complain. He quickly caught her in his arms and kissed her back with complete fervor, he _had_ been meaning to do so for quite a while, moving swiftly and placing her on her back on his bed. He cradled her gently to him and she held on tightly to his neck, their lips never separating even during the change in position.

A minute later, the room blinked with light, and then slowly was filled with brightness. Casey and Derek stopped kissing and just looked into each other eyes. Both of them were breathing heavily, their chests moving up and down rapidly. Casey had a look of both lust and confusion on her face. Derek's was filled with something else, something that Casey couldn't quite decipher, and that scared her. Also, he didn't seem too confused. Surprised, yes, but he didn't seem to think anything of the situation they were in, like it was completely natural.

"Um," said Casey, pulling away from Derek and sliding out from underneath him. She hastily got off of the bed and stood up. "I, uh, have to go." She walked to the door in two steps and was about to run out, but stopped right before she closed his door. "This," she said, turning once and looking at him still sprawled out on his bed, a somewhat sad expression on his handsome face, "_that_ shouldn't have happened."

And then she was gone. She walked out of his bedroom and shut his door. Derek was left there on his bed with his own thoughts and his quickly beating heart.

----------

A/N: Please review!!!

So, yeah! I figured that it was the FOURTH chapter and there just needed to be a full out legit Dasey moment. I mean, come on, there's been enough tension. And also, remember that they are both seventeen in this fic. They've been living together for years with these weird, lovey dovey, I-want-you-so-bad-secretly feelings that we ALL know they have. I happen to be a firm believer in the spontaneous kind of passionate first kiss by them. They are so not the type of couple to lean in slowly the first time. Haha…well, there's more to come. And more torment of course. Tune in.


	5. oh, i have the hardest time

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life With Derek_, or _Eve 6_, or the _Cartel _song: If I Fail

A/N: This is short chapter. Sorry. : ) Thanks for the reviews!

--Am I the only one that thinks it's totally awesome that Ashley Leggat has some Dasey music videos on her favorites on YouTube? Ahhhhhhh!

**--Beautiful Oblivion--**

Chapter Five: oh, i have the hardest time, resisting you

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…" Casey was mumbling to herself. And pacing. And picking up fallen clothes and books, and pens and just about anything that wasn't in its exact place or order around her room.

"What did I _just_ do? What was I thinking? I obviously _wasn't_ thinking!" she muttered to herself, sitting on her bed and trying to calm herself down. She took in deep breaths and tried to let them out slowly. It didn't work; she ended up wheezing and having to put her head between her legs.

"Oh, no, oh, no, oh no…"

_I_ _can't believe I just kissed my stepbrother. I can't believe I just kissed my_ stepbrother_! I can't believe I just kissed Derek. I can't believe I just kissed _Derek

"What is wrong with me?" she shouted towards the ceiling, as if she would get some sort or rational answer.

Her next thought, she could not help.

_If Derek were here, he would probably start listing off all of the things he thinks are annoying about me right about now._

"Ugh! I don't want to think about him anymore!" But she couldn't help it.

_Why did I kiss him_?

She really didn't know. She'd never really thought about Derek that way before. In that moment, though, it just seemed like a good idea.

_But WHY_?

----------

Derek was still in his room, talking to himself; much like Casey next door.

"Well, obviously that wasn't a good idea," he said. He had his face in his hands. "I'm such an _idiot_. Why did I just do that?" He growled into his hands and then had a thought.

_Wait a second…_

"I wasn't even the one to make the first move! Why am _I_ freaking out?"

He then decided that it was a good time to confront Casey about what had just happened in his bedroom. He was going to go over to her and do what she had apparently had wanted to do all along: _talk_. Just talk.

He stood up and walked out of his room, heading a little ways down the hall to Casey's bedroom door. When he got there, he stood in front of it, and counted to ten quietly, composing himself. Then, when he got to ten, he lifted his hand and was about to knock on her door when it swiftly opened.

Casey and Derek were once again looking at each other. This time, though, they had at least two feet in between them.

_Why do we keep ending up around each other? _she thought._ We have the _whole_ house to ourselves and he just _has_ to be outside my door._

"Casey…" Derek started, but found he didn't know what he wanted to say. She just stared at him, a slightly bewildered look on her face.

"Derek," she responded, her voice calm and level, despite what her face looked like.

None of them said anything. They just watched one another.

Casey had a faint redness on her cheeks and even Derek was blushing. A little. Casey didn't notice this, though because she was too set on keeping her breathing steady. She really didn't want to be near him at the moment. She was still too wigged out about what had happened. What she had done.

_Why did I do it_? she thought again. _Oh _right_. I still haven't come up with a plausible answer._

Finally, Derek glanced away from her eyes and noticed the towel and robe in her hands.

"Going to take a shower?" he asked in a bored voice. He was trying to pretend like everything was normal since she didn't seem to be in the mood to talk about the situation.

"Yes," she said simply. "I am." She shifted her feet, waiting for him to get out of her way so that she could proceed to the bathroom.

_So this is how we're going to play it_, she thought.

_So this is how we're going to play it_, he thought at the same time.

"Fine. I'll take one after you."

"Good idea."

They looked at each other for a moment more before Derek moved aside and Casey walked out of her room, shutting the door firmly behind her and leaving Derek standing in the hallway, once again alone.

----------

Casey entered the bathroom and sighed. After years of living in the Venturi household, she still couldn't get the men of the house to pick up after themselves. In every corner of the bathroom there was some article of clothing: Edwin's pajama pants, Derek's hockey jersey, George's white button up shirt, and a random green towel by the tub.

She walked over to the towel and kicked it towards the laundry basket. She still couldn't understand why it was so hard for them to just put their dirty things into it, rather than leaving them on the floor.

Before she disrobed, she turned on the water and then looked at herself in the mirror.

Her eyes were wide and seemed to be a darker shade of blue than usual. Her cheeks were very…pink, and her hair was in a messy bun. As she began to take her clothing off, her thoughts started to wander.

_I'm surprised that he kissed me back, I mean, I look horrible right now_, she thought. _Derek doesn't kiss girls that look as scrubby as I do right now._ Then she grimaced. _Why do I keep thinking about Derek and that damn kiss? It's not like it was a good one, or anything._

"You are so in denial," she said to her reflection in the mirror.

_Yeah, it was actually an _amazing_ kiss_.

For a moment she contemplated slapping herself. Just lifting her hand and giving a good one to her right cheek.

She decided against it though, since she didn't believe in violence, even if it was towards herself.

_Ha! You're such a hypocrite, Casey MacDonald_.

Suddenly she pictured all of the many times when she and Derek would slap, kick, and wrestle with each other. Just a little while ago she had punched him.

"Oh, whatever," she said before stepping into her bath.

Normally, she took showers, but tonight, with the snowstorm and her stormy thoughts, she wanted to go all out and relax in a hot tub filled with fresh scented, bubbly water.

"Ahh," she sighed after she shut the water off and fully submerged her body. It was hot, hotter than she'd ever made a bath before, but she wanted it that way. It kept her mind off of things, mainly her stepbrother. "No, I am not thinking about him right now."

_I really have to stop talking to myself out loud, and having conversations in my head as if I'm actually talking to someone other than myself_.

Realizing that she was _still_ conversing with herself, albeit in her thoughts, she let out and "Ugh," and kicked her right leg, splashing water over the bathtub and onto the floor.

"Oops," she said, sheepishly, but she was grinning. For the first time in what seemed like all night, she wasn't thinking about Derek. And it felt _nice_.

She spent the next half hour relaxing. Of course, she had no idea that she had been in there for that long. So, when she heard the banging on the bathroom door and Derek's voice complaining, it was like she was being whisked back to reality after being on a short vacation.

"_What_?" she called out, annoyed.

"I _said_, are you _ever_ planning on coming out from there?" yelled a frustrated sounding Derek.

"Of course!"

"Well, you've already been in there _forever_, and I need to shower, too."

"Just hold on Derek. It's not like you have to be anywhere right now."

"Actually," she heard him say before he opened the bathroom door and peeked his head in, "Right now, I need to be in here."

"De-rek!" Casey screamed as she sat up and covered the top half of her body. "Close the door!" She hastily grabbed onto the shower curtain and tried to pull it back, but it seemed to be stuck.

"Chill, out. I'm not looking at you or anything."

"Get out, get out, _get out_!" The curtain finally came loose and Casey pulled at it and closed herself in.

"Fine! Just hurry up!"

The door slammed shut.

Casey started to relax. She stood up pulled the plug on the drain. Then, she started to pull the curtain back a little and poked her head out, searching for her towel. She didn't notice Derek right away, but when she looked up, she saw him lounging on the toilet seat cover, his arms crossed at his chest.

Casey squeaked and grabbed the shower curtain, pulling it around her body. Next, she screamed. Loudly.

----------

A/N: Yippee!


	6. you don't do it on purpose

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life With Derek_, or _Eve 6_, or the _Something Corporate _song: Hurricane.

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long for me to update. I've just been in a slump. Thanks for all the reviews! Keep them coming!

**--Beautiful Oblivion--**

Chapter Six: you don't do it on purpose but you make me shake

"De-rek!"

He was just sitting, grinning. The sight made Casey's blood boil.

"WHAT are you doing in here?"

"Well, not enjoying the view, obviously." He motioned to the shower curtain which she was still holding desperately to her body.

"Can you not make jokes right now? Get out!"

"No," he answered simply. "I won't. _You_ get out." The truth was, he didn't know why he was acting like this. Maybe it was because he just didn't know how to not be a jerk around her.

"I was in here first, _Derek_," she said tiredly.

"I don't care, _Casey_. I want to take my shower now. I've waited long enough, I think."

"Do you really?" Derek blinked.

"Huh?"

"Do you _really_ think at all? Because I'm not seeing how this, you barging into the bathroom while I'm still in it, is a good idea. How could you possibly _think_ it was?"

"All I know is that I'm ready to shower, and you are in my way."

"I barely got to rinse my hair out."

"Well, then next time you should think coordinate your time better."

"I didn't realize it was a problem."

"Will you please just leave?"

"No!"

He shook his head like he was scolding a child and was disappointed with her. Then he did something that freaked Casey out even more than him just being in the bathroom with her. He stood up.

"What are you doing?" she asked hastily. He took a few steps closer to her and ignored her question. "Derek, stop." He continued walking towards her. "Come on."

Finally, as he walked by the sink, he grabbed her robe and then was standing right in front of her.

"I suggest you put this on and leave. _Now_." She glared at him.

"And what are you going to do if I don't?" she challenged. He stared at her, slightly surprised.

"You don't want to know," he said slowly. He really couldn't be in the room with her any longer, knowing that she was naked behind the curtain.

She narrowed her eyes; he blinked a couple of times. Then, sighed loudly and grabbed her robe, pulling it into the bathtub with her and shutting the curtain closed.

"I can't believe how childish you are," she said as she struggled to put the robe on. "Seriously, _this_ is ridiculous, kicking me out of the bathroom before I'm done using it." She finally pulled her arms through, wrapped it around her dripping body and tied the knot tightly. She then opened the shower curtain. "I hope your shower is worth it," she said as she stepped out of the bathtub.

"Oh, it will be." She gave him one last look of disgust before she left the bathroom, slamming the door, of course.

She stood outside the door for a few seconds, clenching her fists and trying to keep composure by taking deep breaths, before she stomped her way down the hall and into her bedroom.

She was _not_ in a good mood, not that she had been earlier. The night just seemed to be getting worse and worse, though and Casey seriously considered just putting on her pajamas and going to bed. Then she looked at her alarm clock. It was blinking 2:45.

Remembering the power cut, she searched for her cell phone and then flipped it open. It told her that it was only 8:45. She did _not_ want to go to bed on a Saturday night at 8:45.

"And I won't," she said out loud, picking out her clothing and smiling, a little devilishly.

Casey was always interested in freaking Derek out. She was also interested in getting back at him for freaking _her_ out. And she knew just how to do it.

----------

Derek's shower was uncomfortable. This may have been because the water was cold, and not because Casey had used too much hot water.

_I can't believe I even considered trying to talk things out with her_, he thought to himself as he rinsed the shampoo out of his hair. _That was obviously a bad idea; both kissing her and deciding to confront her. _

He was shivering agitatedly from the icy water as he rinsed the rest of his body off.

_I can't believe I kissed her._

The shower was not only uncomfortable, it was also short. A little over five minutes after Casey had finally left the bathroom, he was pulling the shower curtain open, and stepping out into the open.

He wrapped a towel loosely around his hips and then went to look into the mirror above the sink.

For some reason, even after the chilly shower, his cheeks were still flushed.

"This is so weird. Why is she affecting me like this?"

Derek hardly ever blushed, especially due to his stepsister, Casey. He wasn't supposed to. It was wrong.

"It _is_ wrong," he said. But he couldn't stop the feelings he was having and his thoughts from wandering. He pictured Casey, standing there in front of him, clutching the shower curtain to her naked body. He remembered how she was so angry at him for invading her bathroom time. How she acted like everything was normal between them even though they had just kissed. She could still act the same, fight with him the same. Just like usual.

_Apparently it wasn't a big deal to her_, he thought.

And just like that, he was angry. She may be his stepsister, but he was supposed to be a god when it came to girls, even annoying ones like Casey.

_There's no way she didn't enjoy it_, he tried to convinced himself.

"Ugh, why do I even care?" he asked aloud.

He didn't know why, but he knew that for some reason, it made him mad that she didn't seem to react in the same way that all the girls did when he kissed them.

_Well, maybe I'll just have to try it again_, he thought, smirking. _Yeah, that's what I'll do. The house is empty. No one has to know but the two of us_.

Pleased with his decision, he moved to open the door and leave. Now all he had to do was convinced or con Casey into making out with him once more. Then, _he_ would be the one to leave her, right when she was begging him for more.

He swung the door open and was shocked to see Casey standing there, tapping her foot impatiently.

"What do you want?" he asked. He then took in her choice of clothing: a baggy t-shirt and short pink shorts that were barely visible due to the length of the shirt.

"I was waiting for you to finish." He waited for her to continue.

"Why?" he inquired.

"Because, unlike you, I don't enjoy just walking in on people when they're in here."

"Well, I'm done now."

"Good," she said before she put her small hands on his bare chest and shoved him backwards, back into the room. She kicked the door closed with her right foot and then flung herself at him.

----------

A/N: Now be honest. What do you think is going to happen next? What do you _want_ to happen? I have a theory about these two and that bathroom. There's something about it… I'll share it with you in the next chapter, but you guys can give me your ideas until then and I'll totally consider them. Or, you could try guessing what my theory is…hehe. Oh, and I know things are sort of happening fast, this story does take place all in one night, at least for now, but in the long run, I don't think it is. They've had it coming from the beginning. Oh, and sorry it's so short.


	7. it takes a lot to phase me

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life With Derek_, or _Eve 6_, or the _Play Radio Play! _song: Madi Don't Leave.

A/N: You guys _have_ heard the song _Inside Out_, right? It's pretty kinky. Haha. Well, that's all I really have to say. Thanks for the spendid reviews! If you find any errors I made, mention them and I'll go back and fix it.

**--Beautiful Oblivion--**

Chapter Seven: it takes a lot to phase me

Five minutes later, Casey was walking down the hallway once more, headed towards her room. Right before she reached it though, Derek walked out of the bathroom, following her.

"What? That's it?" he yelled. "Are you kidding me?"  
Casey just smirked and opened her door. She stuck her head out before she closed it, and said, "Why, whatever do you mean, Derek?" She batted her eyelashes obnoxiously and then proceeded to close the door.

Derek stuck his hand in the way at the last second and then the door was open once more.

"Hold on! You can't just do that and then leave. That's not how it works."

"Once again, Derek. I'm confused. I'm not so sure I see what the problem is here."

"You know damn well what I'm talking about," he said through gritted teeth. She just gave him an innocent stare. "Seriously?" he asked again. "This is really how you're going to play it?" She didn't answer him. "Well fine, then. But at least tell me what's going on."

"Actually, I don't really know," she said, cocking her head to the side thoughtfully. "Well…maybe you just don't do it for me, Derek," she finished cleanly. And then she slammed the door shut in his face.

----------

Derek was dumbfounded. He just didn't understand how he got to where he was. And also, since when had Casey been a little tease? He always knew that she was a bitch, but she was really pushing the bitch quotient to the limit now.

He didn't understand what was going on with him, what was going on with Casey, what was going on with _them_. The day had started so innocently.

He had plans; he was going to go out with Sara, the perky cheerleader with the fake blonde hair. He was going to take her to a cheesy movie and then hopefully make-out with her during the whole production. Instead, he found himself canceling on her, and what for? For _Casey_? What was he thinking? He knew he hadn't been thinking, and that was just the point, the whole problem.

Recently, Casey made it hard for him to think straight, _really_ recently. Like, that week. He couldn't understand why he had never noticed it before. What was it about her that suddenly turned him on? Why hadn't he felt this way before?

One thing he did know, it had always been there. That spark, attraction, _potential_. It _had_ to have been. He was just blind, didn't see it, _understand_ it. But finally, finally now, it all came out. Casey was hot, and he wanted her. In every way he shouldn't, and from the way she was acting, _couldn't_.

----------

Unlike after their first hookup, Casey was not freaking out. In fact, she felt the complete opposite. She felt powerful. She felt energized, and relaxed. She was currently lying on her bed reading her book. Concentrating on it came easily. She could imagine every detail perfectly in her head. When she pictured Mr. Darcy, of course she saw Colin Firth in all his handsome British man glory. She pictured Darcy and Elizabeth arguing passionately after his confession of love and couldn't help but feel a slight annoyance at Elizabeth's harsh words. She was _so_ blind.

Casey got so into the story that she forgot to realize that maybe she _should_ be freaking out. She had just fooled around with her step brother in the family bathroom. The _bathroom_. Not exactly the most romantic spot.

_Romantic spot? What the hell am I thinking?_

The girl in the bathroom certainly wasn't the Casey MacDonald that she knew so well. It was a completely different, fearless, lust filled girl, no, _woman_. Casey didn't know where she came from, but just like that, there she was, craving Derek's touch, and wanting to leave him breathless and wanting more.

Great minds think alike it seems.

It had all seemed like a good idea at the time. She wanted to get back at Derek for interrupting her bathroom time. Judging from his reaction to the first time they'd kissed, it seemed like the perfect way to get him all hot and bothered. And Casey, being the smart girl that she was, of course was right.

As she continued to read on about the Bennets, the Darcy's and all of their eccentric friends, she decided that from then on, she was going to forget about what had happened between her and Derek. Also, it was _not_ going to happen again. Not if she didn't let it. She had just been having a little fun. That was her only plausible explanation, besides the fact that her body had obviously been taken over by the dark Casey.

It didn't mean anything.

It could be that simple if she wanted it to be. If she _made_ it that simple.

It could be that easy, right?

_It has to be_, thought Casey.

---------

_Thirty-five Minutes Earlier_

…

"Well, I'm done now."

"Good," she said before she put her small hands on his bare chest and shoved him backwards back into the room. She kicked the door closed with her right foot and then flung herself at him.

Derek caught her in his arms and gasped, taken completely off guard, much like the first time. Casey was throwing herself at him twice in a row?

_Well, I guess this is the perfect time to play her_, he thought, a little bit spitefully.

That was the last coherent thought he had before Casey's mouth was on his, rough and hard, but oh-so hot.

Casey pushed him back even farther so that his lower back was now pushed up against the side of the sink's counter. He didn't care that it kind of hurt because she was making it all better with her sweet but fiery kisses.

He moved his hands up and down her arms, eventually letting them end up at her two hands, which he then clasped in his own. He knew it was his turn to be in control so he swiftly turned them so that he was no longer up against the counter. Now she was up against the wall. She let out a surprised squeak with the change in position but then moaned into his mouth and he knew she didn't mind so much. Their bodies were completely flush with one another now. He was still holding her hands, but then he moved them and held both of them over her head with one hand. He used his free hand to hold onto her t-shirt-covered waist.

The whole time, they were kissing intensely, mouths open, tongues caressing. She lifted her right leg a little and ran it up and down his leg. As she did this, his lips left her own and went down to her chin, making his way slowly down her neck. Every kiss felt hot on her skin. She just lifted her head and kept her eyes squeezed shut. The way he was working it, she was probably going to have marks left. Knowing Derek, though, he probably wanted it that way.

A few seconds later, she managed to release her arms from above her head and tangled them in his hair, the same hair that he took so much cocky pride in. She made sure that she wasn't gentle as she pulled at it.

Now that he had two hands again, he put them both to good use, lifting up her large t-shirt and running them up her bare skin, stroking her flat stomach and slender waist.

She let him do all of this, and of course she wasn't wearing a bra, so right before his hands wandered too far up, she pulled her head away from him and put her leg back solidly down on the floor.

He looked down at her, confused, and she just shook her head. Then, she quickly removed herself from the wall, easing away from his slight hold on her.

He still didn't get what she doing as she put her hand on the doorknob and turned it.

---------

At about 9:30 that night, Casey put her book down and got up to go to her stereo. She turned the radio on and started to flip through the channels, wanting to find a good dance beat. She was feeling restless and decided that maybe dancing a little would make her tired so that she could finally end the night. The night that seemed to go on forever.

When she finally settled on a mainstream radio station playing a techno beat, she turned it up and jumped onto her bed, letting the rhythm move through her limbs. She jumped up and down, moving her hands and legs almost crazily. Then, she jumped back down to the floor and did a couple moves from her last dance recital routine. She got so lost in the music and her fervent dancing that she didn't notice Derek pounding loudly on her door; because naturally he was bothering her, again. Of _course_.

----------

A/N: Oh! And my bathroom theory is when and if Casey and Derek go all the way, at least in my story, it's sooo going to happen in that bathroom. I mean, they have so many good times in it. On the show _and_ in this story. 


	8. but your taste still lingers on my lips

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life With Derek_, or _Eve 6_, or the _Dashboard Confessional _song: Standard Lines

A/N: So sorry this took so long! Almost a year, yes, I realize this…haha. I just hope that you guys are still interested! Here's a slight recap:

Casey and Derek are home alone one Saturday night when there is a snow storm. So far, Casey's kissed him twice and she basically just keeps running away from him afterwards and it's really starting to get to him. Especially since he's just starting to admit that he may, oh gosh, like her? Yay!

**--Beautiful Oblivion—**

Chapter Eight: but your taste still lingers on my lips

Derek had been knocking on Casey's door for thirty-seconds straight and there was still no reply. Even though he had left her alone for only about fifteen to twenty minutes, his could swear that his lips were still tingling from their little make-out session in the bathroom, but maybe he was just imagining it. All he knew was that there was no way that he was just going to stay in his room for the rest of the night without trying to confront her again.

He could hear music playing fairly loudly through the door, at least for Casey and figured that might be why she wasn't answering him. It's not like she was avoiding him, right? He decided to open the door and find out for himself.

When he turned the doorknob and opened the door, the scene that was displayed before him was one he had never really seen. Sure, he had seen Casey dance before. She always practiced for her dumb recitals in the living room and acted like a complete dance freak for weeks until the actual performance, so yeah, he was used to seeing her dance. But what she was doing right now was a little different. She seemed to be dancing for _fun_. It was just her and the loud beat, not some strict routine of hers. Admittedly, though, he could tell from the way she moved that she was indeed a pretty accomplished dancer and even recognized some of her moves, but that was beyond the point. Casey was in her room alone on a Saturday night, just dancing. Like she had gone crazy or something. Even crazier than her just dancing for fun, it _looked_ like fun. And Derek did not like to dance. At least in public. Unless forced to. With a guitar. On a stage, performing for a large crowd of people, his fans.

Okay, he didn't really mind dancing in general, but because it was one of Casey's favorite hobbies, he couldn't just let her know that.

He had been standing in her doorway watching her speechless for about a minute when she turned around and finally noticed him. And surprisingly, she didn't stop dancing right away like he assumed she would. Instead she gave him a look like she just dared him to say something to her, make some sort of smartass comment about her moment of letting go and being loose. When she was met by silence from him, she stopped, frowned and walked over to her stereo. She turned it up. She was about to start dancing again but then paused, curious.

"What do you want?" she asked him, her voice loud above the speakers. She stared at his face, trying not move her eyes from his and look at the way his slightly damp hair flipped this way and that in its messy way, like he had tousled it with a towel for a bit and then just let it be. If she just looked into his eyes, she wouldn't be able to think about how cute it looked, his silly hair. Or how good he looked in general, standing there by her door in his green flannel pajama pants and white wife beater. She waited for his answer and when he didn't say something right away she slowly started to turn around again, deciding that she was just going to ignore him and continue to dance.

If he was going to be weird and just stand in her doorway and not say anything to her then she was going to let him. Then, maybe he would just go away and they could both just forget the night and everything that had happened. It could be listed as just another one of their many and constant power struggles. They had them all the time, after all. This one was just a little more complicated than fighting for the remote control or for the keys to the Prince. And she understood that, but she just couldn't deal with it. Not right now at least. The dancing helped her, though. It was soothing and familiar and she was convinced that she could just dance away her thoughts, as cheesy as that might seem.

_Right. Ignoring him is the best thing to do_, she thought, and even nodded to herself as she swayed her hips and moved her arms in rhythm to the music.

Derek couldn't believe it. He was actually speechless. Casey was so damn weird. Weirder than usual. He opens her door and catches her dancing and she acts like she doesn't even care, just turns the music up and then yells a question at him.

_What was _that_ about_? he thought after she had turned away from him and continued to dance. _Odd_…

Then it occurred to him. Maybe this was her way of trying to _ignore_ him. Ignore what happened between them. Ignore what they both know she did, what she started. Or at least _sort_ of started.

_It's not like I'm in denial, or anything, _he thought. _ Sure, she _was_ the one that kissed me first, and the second time, too but I can't just blame everything on her. I didn't exactly hate her kissing me, I didn't exactly tell her to stop, want her to stop._

After what seemed like a minute later, Casey was sure that Derek had left her room, so she turned around, only to bump right into his chest.

"Wha—" she started to say as she took a step back away from him. She stopped when she heard the music stop. He had turned it off.

"It was too loud," said Derek simply when she all but growled at him.

"Derek, what are you doing? Didn't I make it clear enough that I don't want you in here, that I want to be alone?" He chuckled.

"No, not really, no." she narrowed her eyes at him, furious that he was laughing at her.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" she asked him, her voice the slightest bit shrill.

"I think you know," he answered, taking a step closer to her. She instinctively took another step back. Derek just smirked and took another step towards her. The situation looked somewhat like a predator just about to pounce on his prey and Derek was the predator, of course. _Finally, this is a little more like it should be_, Derek thought as he moved even closer to her.

Once again Casey asked, "What do you want?" After stepping backwards once more, she had run out of room and was now standing up against her desk, Derek close in front of her.

"I guess I just want you to…" he trailed off and she looked confused. She made a face at him that seemed to urge him to finish his thought. "I just think we should talk."

"Yeah? Well I don't," she said, and with that, she put her two hands on his chest and pushed him back. He stumbled backwards a bit but then regained his composure. He caught her arm as she tried to walk past him, and out of her door. She obviously really didn't want to be in the same room with him.

"Casey, wait," he said, pulling her closer to him so that they were once again standing face to face. "Why are you acting like this? Don't you see what's wrong with this picture here?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You keep trying to run away from me, and I know you do that a lot, you just love to make a dramatic exit, but it's a little different now. You won't talk to me. It's just weird. When have I ever been able to shut you up? You always tell me exactly how you feel about things and right now you're doing the complete opposite and I can't stand it. Why am I the only one that seems to care about what happened between us? I kind of feel like this is backwards. Shouldn't _you_ be the one freaking out and asking me all the questions that _I_ don't want to answer?"

Her face up until then had been a bit stony looking, but after his little rant it visibly softened.

"I…I do care," she finally said to him. It was then that she realized that he was still holding on to her arm. She looked away from his face and down at her arm. She stared at his hand, wrapped firmly around her right upper arm. Noticing her gaze, Derek quickly let go of her arm and looked at the floor.

"Look, Derek. I'll admit it. I may not have been acting in the most rational way possible just now, but this is just a very delicate situation and I kind of just want to forget about it. But now I'm starting to realize that maybe just trying to ignore it isn't going to work. So, I guess I agree with you. We _should_ talk."

"Good," he mumbled, still looking at the floor.

"Will you please look at me?" she asked while waving a hand in front of his face. He immediately shifted his gaze to her face, her lips, her forehead and then finally settled on her big, blue, expressive eyes. They looked really troubled but he still found them lovely.

'To be honest, I really don't know what's gotten into me tonight. I mean, I certainly didn't plan on any of it happening, it just did." She stopped talking and she waited for him to say something.

"Is that all you have to say?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess. Except, I still think we should just forget it all happened. Forget that we, you know. Kissed." She whispered the last part, like that would make it seem less real.

"I'm not entirely sure that'll be possible, Case," he said, and she didn't even comment on the fact that he had shortened her name. She let him continue. "I mean, sure, I've kissed a bunch of girls," Casey couldn't help but roll her eyes when he said this, and he couldn't help but grin, "but I think it's a little more complex and different when one of the girl's I'm kissing lives in the same house as me, on the same floor as me, a wall away and she just so happens to be my annoying stepsister." Casey made a face when he called her annoying. He continued. "So yeah, I don't know how easy it will be for us to just go and do what I'm guessing was your original plan, to just ignore it? Yeah, that's not going to work."

"And why not? It's not like it was that big of a deal." They both winced a little when she said that. "What I mean by that is there's not really anything else that we can do about it. We just have to make things go back to the way they were before and then everything will be okay again."

"When have things ever been okay between the two of us? Can you please tell me because as far as I know, we've always had this weird _thing_ between us and I think tonight we both found out what is was."

"And what is it?" Derek signed loudly and ran a hand through his hair, just a teeny bit frustrated to say the least.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you?" She didn't answer him. "Fine. I'll say it. We have chem-is-try. And not just the class. What I mean is, you and me, together, it's like…well, you know."

Casey didn't know what to say. She kind of wanted him to go on.

"No, I don't really know what you mean. What _is_ it like exactly?" she whispered. Derek laughed.

"It's like…" he paused, searching for the right word, but all he could think of to say was, "wow." Casey's eyes widened when he said this.

"Wow? Really?" He nodded to her, his cheeks flushing a light pink. "Well, _wow_," she said running a hand through _her_ hair now. Then she walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge. She put her head in her hands and mumbled, "Okay, this is getting a bit crazy. I can't believe we're even having this conversation. I just can't. It's too messed up. We're step siblings."

"Yeah, we are," he stated. "But that doesn't mean that any of this isn't real." He walked over to her and stood in front of her.

"Okay, can we just hold on a second, please? When did you get all sappy? Seriously, where did this side of you come from? You're acting like, I don't know, like you _like_ me or something." She lifted her head and looked at him. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Come on! I think it's time that both of us stop this circling around the subject crap. You were right. We need to talk, so now we're talking. What's going on with us?"

"I honestly don't know. But since we're being honest, I did feel something when we kissed."

"Something…"

"I don't know. Like, it just felt good. What about you?" She nodded.

"I guess I can't deny that there might have been some, sparks between us, some _wow_ as you so nicely put it."

"Sparks is a pretty good word, too and might be the reason you jumped me. Twice."

"Excuse me, jumped?"

"I think that's a pretty good word to describe the way you manhandled me," Derek said frankly, walking over and sitting next to her on the end of the bed.

"Okay, I jumped and manhandled you now?"

"Oh come on. Don't even try to deny it. It was all you. It was like I was your prey."

"Gee, once again, prey? You were my _prey_? And what exactly are you saying, that I'm usually the prey, is that what you're saying?"

"Well yes, you usually are in most cases."

"Ha! I think not."

"I know. You've made that fairly clear tonight, Case," he said, his eye brows raised suggestively. She shoved him in the side and he fell off of the bed, landing on the floor. He didn't even bother getting up; she'd probably just push him down again.

"You're ridiculous. And yeah, I'll admit that I was the one who initiated both of our little _kisses_," once again she whispered, "but I don't know why I did. I guess I just temporarily lost my head."

"Twice," he said again. She glared at him.

"Yes, twice. Whatever."

"Are you sure you didn't just kiss me because you wanted to? Twice?" Casey looked at him and laughed. He didn't.

"Come on Derek, that's preposterous. Why would I _want_ to kiss you?"

"Because I'm so hot and you want my body?"

"Well, gee, that must be it. You know me so well," she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Actually, it's true. I do. I know you better than anyone else does, probably. More than Lizzie or Emily even. More than your mom."

"Okay, well if that's true then I know _you_ better than anyone else. Ha!" He grinned.

"I'm not going to deny that." She frowned.

"What are we talking about again?"

"We're talking about what we're going to do about this situation we've put ourselves into."

"Okay…and what are we deciding?" she asked cautiously.

Derek stood up from her floor and sat next to her on the bed once more. Casey could have sworn that he was about to take one of her hands in his, but a second later a loud noise rang out behind them. The phone was ringing.

----------

A/N: Please review! I really appreciate it!

Oh, and I know that was cheesy. But I can't help it. It's hard for me not to be when it comes to Dasey. They're just too darn cute. And I don't think it's THAT unimaginable that they would both try to talk things out. It's kind of important that they do, actually. They can't just _ignore_ (haha) their feelings… If you've been watching the series regularly then you know that they do talk to each other about a lot more things than they used to. They're actually pretty honest with each other a lot of the time. It's just the way they are.


	9. some girls try too hard, but not casey

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life __With__ Derek_, or _Eve 6_, or the _Blink 182_ song: The Party Song

A/N: Here's the next installment! It's my longest one yet and hopefully you guys will enjoy it. I'm sure you know how you can let me know… ;)

Last time: Casey and Derek were getting into a serious talk about their feelings but were interrupted when the phone rang.

Read on, dears!

**--Beautiful Oblivion****—**

Chapter Nine: some girls try too hard, but not casey

Of course the phone was ringing. Why wouldn't it ring? It was the most opportune time to ruin a moment. An important moment, too, in which Casey and Derek were both at their most vulnerable, their most honest. Of _course_ it was ringing.

"I should get that," said Casey instantly, hastily moving from her spot on the end of her bed, next to Derek, to grab the cordless phone that just so happened to be sitting next to her bed on the nightstand. As she did so, Derek let out a long breath that he apparently had been holding and put his head in his hands. He was frustrated, no doubt.

Casey herself was just a little worried about who was calling. If it was Sam she would probably freak out.

_Oh __my gosh_ Sam, she thought. _What am I going to do about him?_ Her feelings at the moment were very mixed and her stomach felt sick just thinking about the whole situation and what she had gotten herself into.

_This is so awkward_, Derek thought. He started to massage his temples, then turned and glanced at Casey as she answered the phone. He could tell that she was trying to act nonchalant about their previous conversation as she spoke smoothly into the phone.

"Hello?" she said, and she turned her face so that her gaze wouldn't meet his. "Oh, _hi_ mom." Casey got up off of the bed and went to her bedroom window. "Yeah, it is snowing pretty badly out," she said, nodding. "Wait, what? Oh. Okay. I guess that makes sense. Are you sure you won't be able to…Uh, huh. Yeah, I get it. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you guys. Yeah, we'll be fine," Derek, who had been watching the whole exchange from her bed raised his eyebrows when she said this, "Okay, love you too. Bye mom." She nodded her head. "Goodnight."

Casey hung up the phone and sighed loudly. She turned around and caught Derek staring at her, but didn't immediately saying anything.

"Well?" asked Derek.

"That was my mom."

"I got that much."

"She called to tell us that she and George are going to stay over their friend's house tonight because of the storm. I didn't even know they were at someone's house, I just thought they were going out for dinner and a movie…" she was frowning again. Derek slowly started to grin.

"So we're alone?" She nodded to him.

"Kind of like we've been alone all night."

"Yeah, but now we're alone for the _entire_ night."

"Right, what's your point?"

"We're alone in this house together tonight. Just you," he pointed to her and then to himself, "and me, electricity optional."

"And?"

"Well, it's just that, things could _definitely_ get a bit interesting. And with absolutely no distractions to worry about. I'm liking these odds," he said and his smirk didn't falter. She couldn't help but chuckle lightly, albeit uneasily.

"Don't you think the night has been eventful enough as it is?" she asked, and she didn't even try to hide the slight nervousness in her voice. Derek shrugged.

"Hmm, eventful, sure, but eventful enough?" He shook his head. "I'm pretty sure we could do a lot more damage. After all, the night _is_ young." He pointed to her clock. It read that it was past ten. Casey rolled her eyes.

"There are so many things wrong with what you just said."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. First of all, I'd hardly call 10:15 early—"

"Then you must be lamer than even I thought." She chose to ignore him and continued.

"And second of all, I don't even want to know what you're suggesting," she said as she walked over to her dresser and gently placed the cordless down onto it. Then she turned to face him. "Can we be done here now?" She didn't wait for his answer. "Okay, thanks," she said and made a dramatic motion with her arms that translated into, "I'm kicking you out now, so go."

He walked over to her reluctantly, a slight scowl on his handsome face as if they were both children and she had just rejected his offer of a play date. Which, she kind of was, if in fact Derek's idea to liven up their night involved the two of them…playing with one another.

"Aww, come on, Case. Please don't tell me that you're really just going to go to bed now," he whined as he reached her. She pointed to the exit of her bedroom and kept her face firmly indifferent.

"Please just go, Derek. I think I have a headache, no thanks to you. And yes, I do plan on going to bed now."

"Ouch, and without me?"

"Will you quit it with the sex jokes already!" she screeched at him, losing her composure and shoving him out of her door; he laughed as she did so, enjoying her discomfort. He loved it when she got rough with him. She didn't even care at that point that once again she had let him get to her after resolving that she wouldn't let him. "And don't call me Case!" she shouted as she shut the door in his face.

He waited a half minute before knocking on her door.

--------

It was 10:35 and they were on Casey's bed.

Together.

At the same time.

She was sitting at the head of the bed with her legs crossed, flipping through the most recent issue of _Cosmopolitan_, reading about things such as lip gloss and home hair care remedies. He was sprawled out in front of her on his back, trying his hardest to concentrate on the task at hand. Literally. In his hand was a book. Casey's book. The one she had been reading earlier. _Pride and Prejudice_.

One of Derek's cds was playing quietly in the background. It was a collection of some of his favorite songs from the nineties. As Casey read about what shade of eye shadow was best for her complexion this winter, she softly sang along to an old Blink 182 song called _The Party __Song_. When it came on and she surprisingly seemed to know all of the lyrics, Derek paused from his reading. He couldn't help but watch her for a few seconds; it was after all a pretty tough song to sing along to, not to mention the fact that the lyrics were crude and rude. It was so not a song he would ever picture Casey singing, yet there she was. He smiled. Maybe he had rubbed off on her more than he knew. When he caught himself smiling at her he inwardly cursed and went back to his book, _her_ book.

They had been like this for about ten minutes.

"Okay, done!" he exclaimed suddenly, sitting up and turning to face her. She stopped singing and gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean you're done? You _just_ started reading."

"Yeah, I know!" he grinned, obviously feeling pleased with himself.

"Okay…" she said, her eyes still questioning his excitement.

"I just finished the first chapter!" Casey just stared at him for a moment. She didn't know whether to laugh in his face or pry her favorite book from his fingers and hit him repeatedly over the head with it. She decided to spare her book from the physical damage it might go through when connecting with Derek's head.

"Derek," she said his name slowly, "the first chapter is less than three pages long," she told him and even held up three fingers for him to see. Now _he_ seemed confused.

"And…?"

"And…?"

"Yeah, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that finishing the first chapter in ten minutes is hardly an accomplishment!" Derek made a blowing sound with his lips that sounded like somewhat like, "Pssh."

"Oh _come_ on, Casey. What do you expect me to do, read the whole book in one sitting tonight?" He tilted his head at her and his skeptical facial expression made her want to laugh, but she kept a straight face.

"Well, no, not exactly but you could at least try to read a few more chapters before getting all proud of yourself," she managed to get out without even cracking a smile, though the thought of Derek staying up all night reading _Pride and Prejudice_ did make her want to burst out in giggles.

"Are you serious? You think I feel _proud_ of myself right now?" he asked her incredulously. She merely stuck her tongue out at him. He shook his head. "Oh, now _that's_ mature."

"Whatever, Derek. It's your choice," she said, and continued to read through her magazine. She was now reading an article a tad bit racier than using olive oil on dry, split end induced hair: "The Blended Orgasm." She didn't even care that Derek was right there next to her and might be able to see what she was reading. It was a fairly interesting article after all.

A few minutes later Derek interrupted their fairly companionable silence—save for the music, with back to back overdramatic sighs. The first one Casey could ignore. For all she knew he was just, sighing. Mr. Darcy could do that to a person. She ignored the second one as well, but after he had sighed four times in a row, she finally put her magazine down and glared at him.

"What is it, Venturi?" He pointed his gaze at her and grinned from ear to ear.

"I'm sorry, is there a problem here?" he asked innocently.

"I think you know," she responded.

"Oh, the sighing?" She made a face at him that obviously meant "Duh," and he laughed and elbowed her thigh lightly, jokingly. "Ah, nothing," he said. "I was just getting _so_ into this book."

"Yeah, right," she said.

"Oh _all right_, you caught me." He sat up on his elbows and turned so that he was facing her.

"I'm hungry."

"Then go get something to eat."

"I don't want to."

"Then why are you complaining?" He just looked at her. She stared back at him. He made a face at her and she knew that he wanted her to do something. She just shook her head. He stuck out his bottom lip and made a sad face. Finally she rolled her eyes and gave in. "What do you want?" His expression immediately changed into a big smile.

"I thought you'd never ask!" he said happily, then, "Well, I wouldn't exactly mind if _you_ went and got me something eat." He batted his eyelashes at her. She looked at him like he was crazy.

"Yeah, _okay_, sure. I'll get right to it," she said, not making any attempt to move from her spot.

"Come on, Case. I want a cookie!"

"_Casey_. And you know that we didn't finish baking so there are no cookies. Plus, I am so not getting up to go get you some food. Why can't you just go yourself." He made a face.

"I'm _way_ too comfortable," he complained and wiggled around, moving back to his original position on his back, head closer to the left side of her leg.

"Well then you're just going to have to suck it up because I'm not moving either."

"But I'm hungry."

"Please stop talking."

"Fine."

"Fine."

They both went silent. Casey went back to her magazine and Derek grudgingly picked up his, her book and started to read chapter seven. Jane was being invited to dine with the Bingleys and her mother was being even more annoying than usual, concocting a ridiculous plan for her to arrive on horseback so that she wouldn't be able to ride back because of the inevitable rain. He couldn't help but scoff at the idea and express his thoughts out loud.

"It's not a good idea, Jane," he said and Casey looked up from her reading, surprised. She raised her eyebrows when she realized he was talking to the book. He knew she was listening and said his next statement even more dramatically. "Don't do it! No good can come from this!"

Casey just shook her head at his ridiculousness and went back to her articles. Derek continued to read. And he was right. Jane Bennet got very ill and ended up having to stay at Netherfield for longer than even her mother had expected. In a way, though, Derek couldn't help but commend Mrs. Bennet on her sneakiness since overall; her plan has worked out just as she wanted. It did in fact seem as though Jane and Mr. Bingley were truly falling for one another.

_I cannot believe I am reading this_, he thought. _And actually un__derstanding it and even, oh jeez__, enjoying it?_ He shook his head, but then started to read it some more.

An hour later, he had gotten halfway through the book when he decided that his neck was cramping. He had been in the same position for way too long. As he began to adjust himself, he looked over at Casey and was surprised to see than she apparently had fallen asleep. He was so into his reading that he couldn't even tell how long she had been that way. Her legs were still crossed but she was leaning all the way back on her head board and her magazine was still open in her lap, but her eyes were closed and she was breathing slow and evenly.

Sitting up completely, he turned so that he was facing her and crossed his legs as well. Curious to see what would happen, he poked her arm. Nothing happened. So he poked her again. She still didn't move or wake up. He was about to poke her again, but then stopped at the last moment.

She looked so content, so peaceful. And pretty; she looked really pretty. Her long brown hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail but most of her bangs had already escaped and were now messily framing her face. Before he knew it, he was reaching over and gently placing some of the loose bangs behind her right ear. And then, instead of removing his right hand, he moved it again so that he was now cupping the side of her face. To do so he had to lean in closer to her and it wasn't exactly the most comfortable position but he didn't care at the moment. He liked the feel of her skin. It was soft, her face free of blemishes and since she had taken a shower she wasn't wearing a trace of makeup. She looked better than just pretty, he thought she was beautiful.

And Derek couldn't help what he did next. He leaned in closer and closer and soon his face was right in front of hers with just about an inch of space in between them. He had moved his hand so that it was now in her hair at the back of her head.

He moved even closer and the moment his lips touched hers, her eyes opened wide, and when he realized that he was looking into her deep blue eyes he was so shocked that he immediately pulled away. He moved away so fast in fact that he basically gave himself whiplash and ended up crashing to the floor on the left side of the bed. Casey was shocked herself and when he looked up at her from his spot on the floor, he watched as she traced the outline of her pink lips with her left pointer finger.

She wasn't looking down at him. She was looking off into the corner of her room and for some reason Derek was having trouble deciding whether or not he should get up and off of the floor. Neither of them had said anything yet and frankly, he was scared of what she would do if he did move, or speak. No, it was better for him to wait and see how she reacted first. So far, all she was doing was avoiding his gaze.

_Oh man, what did I just do? Why did I kiss her? Why isn't she saying anything? Why won't she look at me?_ Derek's thoughts were racing. He was so confused. It had been about five minutes since he had stopped reading and now, more than anything, he wished he hadn't stopped. If he had just kept reading he wouldn't be sitting on the floor right then, waiting to get yelled at.

A minute later he couldn't stand the silence anymore and needed to know what she was thinking and if she was mad at him. He clumsily stood up and said her name.

"Casey…"

--------

_An Hour and Forty-six Minutes E__arlier_

He waited a half minute before knocking on her door. Unlike the last time, her music wasn't blaring so she heard him right away.

She opened the door a few inches so he could only see her face and she looked livid.

"_What?_" she yelled exasperatedly. He didn't even blink, just put a bright smile on his face.

"I was just feeling a little lonely. You know, it's just the two of us all alone in this big house with a snowstorm going on outside and the electricity has already cut out once, who knows if it will again and I was just thinking that maybe it would be better if we stuck together. It might even be fun." He waggled his eyebrows at her and she narrowed her eyes. Then, clapping his hands together he said, "We could have a slumber party!"

"Yeah, right," she finally replied. It was the first time he had allowed even a second for her to say something. "We are so not sleeping in the same room tonight." His eyes widened at her phrasing. "I mean ever. Not just tonight."

"Oh come on, at least let me come in then; just for a little while. We could just hang out. I bet you wouldn't want to be alone if and when we lose power again." He knew how scared she could get sometimes.

"I'm pretty sure I would be fine by myself if and when we lose power again. It's not like I need you to protect me."

"You sure about that?" They stared at each other for a few more seconds and then she made a face and he knew that she would let him in. She let out a frustrated groan and opened the door wide enough for him to pass through.

"Fine. You can come in. But we're just hanging out. No funny business. And it's my room so we do what I want to do; you have no say." He strode into her room and sat on her bed as she ranted. "Are you listening to me?"

"Yeah, yeah. What are we going to do then?" She shut the door and grinned for the first time.

----------

A/N: Well what do ya know! Derek made the move this time! Whoo! Please review! I really appreciate it! Thoughts, dislikes, ideas on what's gonna happen next…?

Oh, and I don't know if anyone noticed but this is the first time I've made the chapter title be anything but _exact_ lines from a song. I added the "but not casey" part. Haha. And the line I chose is actually from _The Party Song_, which is the song that Casey was singing in this chapter.


	10. someone's gonna have to clean this mess

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life __With__ Derek_, or _Eve 6_, or the lovely _Mandy Moore_ and her song Latest Mistake!

A/N: I would just like to clarify something: I put Derek and Casey into certain situations and I try my hardest to make them act the way they would if they really were in those situations. Thanks for the reviews! Continue writing them!

Last time: Casey and Derek were having an extreme bonding moment in Casey's room and Derek kind of spoiled the platonic time by trying to kiss her as she napped.

Read on, dears!

**--Beautiful Oblivion****—**

Chapter Ten: someone's gonna have to clean this mess up

"Casey…"

She didn't answer, right away.

"Okay, Derek. I'm sorry if I'm about to come off as a little harsh or something but I think it's time that you leave my room." He tried to speak.

"But—"

"No buts. You're out. You just can't be in here anymore." She pointed to her door. When he didn't immediately move towards it, she got up herself and opened the door for him.

"Now, Derek. Please. I can't deal with this any longer. You just crossed a line." She didn't look at him, just continued to point out the door. She didn't want to look at him. If she did, she would see his incredulous face and then maybe she wouldn't be able to say no to him.

"_I_ crossed a line?"

"I don't—I don't want to talk about it!" she stuttered.

Derek's frown consumed his face. He reluctantly got up and walked over to the door. Before he left, though, he stopped in front of her and willed her to look at him. She didn't.

"Casey, will you please just look at me?" he asked her, running his hand urgently through his hair, deeply disturbed. When she did eventually look at him, he regretted asking. Her face was completely void of any emotion; he couldn't tell from her look what she was thinking, feeling. For all he knew, she hated his guts. "Okay," he said, defeated. He didn't know what else to say, or do. The wounded look on his face was evident and it took all of Casey's strength not to falter.

"Can you go now, please?" she asked him quietly, so politely that he winced. He nodded.

"Yeah, I will. But can I just say one thing?" She bit her lip. He took a deep breath.

"I guess…"

"You were right," he said simply. Casey didn't know what he what referring to.

"About?"

"About this, tonight. It _was_ all a big mistake. I realize that now. It took me a while, but then again, you've always pointed out how dumb I am, so I guess it's not that surprising. But don't worry. It won't ever happen again. Frankly, I feel disgusted right now." He walked away then and left her standing there alone, her mouth hanging open in shock. If he _had_ turned back to look at her he would have seen that her expression had changed. She looked sad, hurt even. He didn't turn around. He was done bothering her.

----------

As Casey fluffed her pillows, she tried to get her thoughts organized so that she could go to bed peacefully. It was already past 12:00 and she was tired. It had been a _long_ day.

_Finally, now that he's gone I can finally go to bed and actually get some sleep. He better not bother me again. _But even as she thought it, she knew that he wouldn't. After the way things had just ended, she was fairly sure that he wouldn't be knocking on her door again for a long time.

She quickly changed into her pajamas and crawled into her bed. Just as she was about to shut off her lamp she remembered something.

"Ugh…" she grumbled as she pulled the covers off of her and got out of bed again.

----------

Derek was in the bathroom when Casey arrived there. The door was propped open but for some reason she found herself knocking lightly before she entered.

He turned and looked at her silently and she knew that it was okay for her to come in, so she did. He was brushing his teeth already, but she knew that even if he wasn't he probably wouldn't have said anything to her and she was glad for that. They had done too much talking for the day, enough _bonding_ for a lifetime.

She quickly grabbed her own tooth brush and toothpaste and as she squeezed the paste onto her brush, Derek was finishing up with his own brushing.

_Good_, she thought. _This is so awkward. Just please leave now_.

But of course he didn't. No, he still had to floss. So she just stood there, terribly close to him as they both stared at their respective reflections in the mirror, not once glancing at the other.

The tension in the room was flagrant. It was obvious that they were both trying to ignore the other, and it worked, except that Casey kept thinking about their earlier encounters in that same bathroom and the memories made her heart race. They had made so many mistakes together within just a few short hours. She wondered if he was thinking the same thoughts; if he was picturing them pushed up against the wall, mouths connected, bodies touching. If he was, he was doing a good job at pretending like he didn't care. Casey herself was slowly starting to blush and she was hoping that he wouldn't notice.

_If he would just leave already_…

After what felt like an eternity, Derek threw his floss into the trash can and then stocked out of the bathroom, not once looking in her direction or making a sound. Casey felt awful. Her stomach felt uneasy and her frown was causing her forehead to scrunch up in a way that made her look older than her seventeen years.

Derek was mad at her and for some reason, it bothered her. But she was mad at him, too, wasn't she?

_He's making my life so complicated, way more than it ever was before. I can't deal with this. I _am_ mad at him_! But her stomach still ached for some reason and she couldn't stop her frown from deepening.

After she finished brushing her teeth, she splashed her face with cold water and then wiped her face gently with a towel. Then she made her way back to her bedroom. As she did, she couldn't help but let her gaze fall to Derek's closed door. She even walked right up to it, and paused outside, her hand lifted momentarily. She briefly thought about knocking but then quickly decided against it.

_That is so not a good idea, Casey MacDonald_, she scolded herself. She sighed loudly as she walked into her own room and quietly shut the door.

Before she got back into bed, she went to her window and looked outside. It was still snowing, but not quite as fiercely as it had been a few hours before. Even though she still felt bad about her current situation, she couldn't help but smile for a split second at the thought of how beautiful it would look outside when she woke up in the morning.

Soon, she was back under her covers, shutting her eyes tightly in the hopes that she would be able to fall instantly to sleep and hopefully not dream or be plagued by thoughts of Derek.

----------

To say that Derek Venturi was angry with his stepsister was an understatement. He was _pissed_. She was seriously _pissing_ him off. But he didn't want to think about it. No, because if he thought about her, then his thoughts would just wander and he would get even more pissed, and then he would realize that he really couldn't just blame everything on Casey. And he _so_ didn't want that. He didn't want to take credit for anything that went on with them that night, or ever.

_No, she was right. Everything we did was a mistake. Every kiss and touch, caress. Me kissing her on her bed? Yeah, bad idea. Bad, _bad_ idea. I was so stupid. I don't even know what I was thinking. Me and her? It's not a good idea. __It's not even possible. Our parents would freak. Our friends would freak. Why am I still debating this? The whole notion is crazy. So __what if she's an amazing kisser?__ I shouldn't even be surprised. She's perfect at everything else, why wouldn't she be perfect at kissing, or…_he didn't even want to finish the thought. It was way too much for him to handle at the moment. He really needed to get some sleep. And she really needed to not be in his dreams.

----------

Casey had been trying to sleep for almost an hour and was finding it impossible. She kept shifting around under her blankets; she couldn't seem to get comfortable. But she knew that wasn't it. She couldn't sleep because of Derek. She still felt terrible. She kept picturing his hurt expression when she had kicked him out of her room, the mean things he said and then the way he deliberately ignored her in the bathroom.

But it's not like it was her fault. He was the one being stupid.

_I mean, he kissed me while I was taking a nap! What's with that? What was he thinking? __It's not like w__e're not a couple. We could never be a couple. And you don'__t just go and kiss__ people that you're__ not supposed to get along with and we do not get along!_

She knew that she was a hypocrite even as her thoughts came. She had kissed him twice. But there was a difference. She knew that it was wrong, and she had specifically told him that they were mistakes, the kisses they shared. And she had stupidly thought that telling him was enough. She had been foolish enough to think that they could just be normal around one another after that. Oh, how she was wrong.

_Why did he have to go and kiss me? I just don't get it. It's not like he actually cares about me, that can't be it. He practically hates me. We don't get along, not really. I mean, sure. We __tend to__ have those weird moments where he does something really nice, even sweet for me, and moments where I can tolerate him enough to help him out__ of a sticky situation__, but that doesn't mean that we're friends, or more.__ Even if those moments actually happen__ more than we'd bo__th like to admit. They __do__n't justify the fact that we made out and then__ sort of kissed on my bed__. And just because he's an amazing kisser doesn't mean I should _enjoy_ kissing him so much. Of course he would be a good kisser. There has to be a reason why so many girls can stand going out with him all the time_.

That's what did it. Just thinking about kissing him again made Casey's stomach hurt anew. She had weird butterflies fluttering around in there and she hated it. Derek was making her _want_ him. She realized then that she really did like kissing him and maybe that meant something, but maybe it didn't. She also realized that she wasn't going to be able to fall asleep until she saw him and talked to him. They really needed to talk. She needed to know what was going on with them, once and for all.

----------

Derek was still awake at 1:19 when his door cracked open. Curious, he turned his head to the right and sure enough, the figure of Casey was coming towards him. He knew it was her because she was the only other person in the house, and also, his arm hairs rose when she entered, he could just _feel_ that it was her. Right then, for some odd reason, he could feel his anger towards her slowly lessening.

She closed his door slowly and softly and then walked over to him. She stopped at his bed and he didn't move. He waited for her to explain herself. He could see her shifting nervously in the dark. If he could see her face clearly he would know that she kept opening her mouth to say something only to close it a second later, speechless.

After a minute of this, he couldn't stand it anymore. He shifted a little to the left side of his bed and then patted the empty space next to him. He knew that it was a big deal that she had come to him, that she had probably debated about it back and forth in her head before making her final decision, but he needed to hear her speak.

"Talk to me, Case," he said, and it sounded like he was trying to sound lighthearted. She only paused for a moment before she sat on the bed next to him, legs crossed Indian-style. She still didn't say anything to him, but he patted the pillow behind her and she slowly put her head down and stretched her legs out so that she was lying stiffly next to him, on top of his comforter.

"Derek?" she muttered after an uncomfortable minute.

"Yeah?"

"I like it when you call me Case." He couldn't stop his grin after she said this.

"Casey?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you get up, please?" She was horrified. She immediately sat up and out of his bed, and if the light was on he would be able to see how red she had turned in about two seconds.

"Casey, _calm_ down. I meant just for a sec." He motioned towards his side again. He had lifted the covers. She stared down at him, considering what to do. Then, very slowly, she got back into the bed and he put the covers back over both of them.

"I'm sorry if I freaked you out," he whispered, incredibly close to her ear. She could feel his breath on her skin and it made her shiver involuntarily.

"I'm kind of freaked out by a lot of things right now," she admitted just as quietly as he had spoken.

"Me too."

Casey decided that she felt too awkward just lying straight on her back next to him, so she turned to look at him.

"Can we just…" she tried to think of something to say, something smart that they could discuss and agree over, but she couldn't find any words. And then, Derek did something that quite possibly could be looked back on as the turning point in their relationship, even more so than their several kisses. He reached over towards her and pulled her closer to him…and she let him. After that, it was understood that they weren't going to talk. At least not yet. They were just going to live in the moment. They were going to sleep, at last.

Right before Casey's eyes naturally closed with sleep, she snuggled closer to Derek so that her head was pressed up against his chest and her lips lifted in a small smile. She understood that what they were doing was slightly ridiculous but at the moment, when it was just the two of them and no one else around, it felt right.

"I knew you wanted to have a slumber party with me," Derek murmured into Casey's hair. Her eyes flew open and as she was about to snap a sardonic retort, his left hand found its way to her mouth. "No," said Derek dramatically, with what Casey decided was his version of a bad Spanish accent, "Do not spoil the moment, chica." She rolled her eyes and he couldn't help but laugh. They soon fell asleep after that.

----------

A/N: Whoa. I know. Crazzzzy.

Review please:/


	11. you kissed me like you meant it

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life __With__ Derek_, or _Eve 6_, or the _Dashboard Confessiona__l_ song: Hands Down.

A/N: So, I know it's been like...two whole weeks since I've updated…but here is: the eleventh chapter! It's my Christmas gift to you (my loves, haha). Have a Merry Derekus! I made it extra long just because you guys had to wait. I hope you enjoy it!

P. S.- If you haven't already watched the Fanfiction podcast, please go do so! It's awesome, just what I thought it would be. It makes me so happy to know that Ash and Mike read and enjoy some of the stories written about their characters. And to make a podcast and have a read through of an actual story…they're just AMAZING!

On to the story…

**--Beautiful Oblivion--**

Chapter Eleven: you kissed me like you meant it

Derek was the first to wake up. Normally he didn't rise from his slumber until at _least_ 11:00 o'clock on the weekends, hardly ever a minute before, but this particular Sunday was a bit different than usual. On _this_ Sunday, he wasn't alone in his bed like usual and that fact was probably one of the reasons why he was currently staring at the glowing red numbers of his alarm clock; either that or he was going crazy. The numbers told him that is was 6:58 in the morning.

_Who_ _wakes up this early on a Sunday?_ he thought to himself.

He groaned in displeasure; it was way too early for him to even begin thinking about functioning and also, for some reason, his right arm felt really weighted down and just a little numb. He tried to turn over only to bump into the form next to him.

"Am I really up right now? Or, am I still dreaming?" he murmured to himself out loud, poking the shoulder of the girl whose head was presently hogging most of his pillow. Her back was what was weighing his arm down.

Her hair was long and brown and it curled a little at the ends and it was _everywhere_. It was also covering most of her face so he reached over with his left arm and lifted a bit of it with his hand. He knew who she was but the whole situation still seemed really surreal to him.

"I _must_ be dreaming," he decided, carefully pulling his arm out from under her and putting both behind his head, looking up at his ceiling. Casey just curled closer to him so that her head was now resting on his right shoulder, her face pressed up against his chest.

_Except_, he thought,_ I know I'm not because I don't usually dream about Casey sleeping with me in my bed._ He looked down at her again and he decided he liked the way she looked, curled up next to him. It was a nice picture. And she just looked too darn cute with her hair all messy and all over the place._ I'll probably start dreaming about her now, though._

He let out a deep breath trying to steady himself. Then, he pulled his right arm back out from under his head and tapped Casey's right shoulder again. She just wiggled even closer to him, her hands rolled up into two tiny fists, pushed up near his abs, face still against his chest. She was completely unaware of her actions and what she was doing to him. And what she was doing to him was making him want to kiss her right there and then. He only refrained because it seemed that she didn't really like to be kissed while she was sleeping. And also, he wasn't quite sure if they were still kissing each other.

Sure, they were sleeping together, apparently, in the completely literal sense, but he had n idea what was going to happen with them at that exact moment in time.

He raised his eyebrows in blissful amusement when she twisted even closer to him again. She seemed _really_ comfortable, lying there next to him in his bed, under his sheets. He found it bizarre and astounding how things could change so drastically in one day, in just a few restless hours. He also found it funny and a relief that she seemed to be sleeping so well and that she hadn't woken up sometime in the middle of the night to sneak out of his room.

It was the next morning, and she was still there next to him, completely passed out and hogging his pillow when she very well had her own. Strange as the situation was, he liked how it seemed like she was being pulled to him, like he was some sort of Casey-Magnet. Or maybe it was just because she was cold and she craved him touch. The thought hadn't occurred to him until that very moment. He wrapped his arms around her and was pleased that she seemed to fit so perfectly in his arms. Who would have known that he would find the idea of wrapping his arms around his annoyingly wonderful stepsister so appealing?

He liked holding her while she slept. She was warm and soft in his arms.

_Jeez. She's making me about the cheesiest person on earth. What the hell? How did this happen?_

He raised his eyebrows once more when, out of nowhere, Casey shifted, this time actually turning away from him and lifting her arms above her head in a deliberate, leisurely stretch, yawning quietly as she did so. Derek, unfortunately, was forced to move his arms to accommodate her movements. Her pajama top rose halfway up her belly as she did so, though, and Derek grinned happily in appreciation. His fingers ached to brush across her flawlessly creamy skin, but he figured he didn't want to get smacked too early in the morning so he refrained from doing so.

Casey slowly opened her eyes and squinted up at his ceiling, not yet turning to face him. Derek watched with enjoyment the thoughts and emotions that seemed to run across her still drowsy features. He could just imagine what she was thinking.

"Morning, Case," he said somewhat cheerfully, almost fully awake now. Her face twitched in his direction and he laughed at her surprised and rather confused look.

"Good morning?" she said back to him, but it sounded more like a question.

"Yes, it is," he replied, and reached over to pull her back close to him. "Did you sleep well?" She nodded into his chest.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure I did." A moment went by when none of them said anything.

"Are you freaking out right about now?" he finally asked. She nodded again.

"Um…just a little bit."

"I kind of am, too," he admitted. She turned her head up to look at him. After a few seconds she raised an eyebrow at him and he thought that her eyebrows were perfect.

"You don't _seem_ to be freaking out," she declared. "You seem pretty calm right now, actually."

"Yeah?" he asked. She shook her head. "Well, I guess I'm better at acting than either of us have ever admitted," he said quietly and Casey couldn't help but giggle a little.

"I'm sorry, but this is just weird. I mean, here we are, having a normal conversation, well, _sort_ of normal conversation, and we're not fighting, and we're not mad at each other, and it's just, _weird_," she said. "I can't believe I came here last night. I am so not acting like myself, right now." She was still letting him hold her, and he thought that this was a good sign, despite her bewilderment.

"This is true," he replied, "but I can't say I'm not happy that you came to visit me last night. I mean, if you hadn't come over to cuddle with me," she shoved him a little when he said this, "I'd definitely still be pissed off at you and then we'd never be able to…" he trailed off. She leaned in closer to him.

"We'd never be able to…what?" she prompted, her blue eyes wide with hope. He moved his face even closer to hers and just as she was about to close her eyes and lean in towards him to cover the rest of the distance between them, he pulled away from her and said, "I'm hungry. Let's go eat!" In a second he was up and standing, looking at her pointedly.

Casey's body immediately fell into the spot that Derek had previously occupied before he practically jumped out of his bed. She made a sound like, "Oof," and then quickly sat back up, not even attempting to hide her glare, her cheeks slowly reddening as she aimed it at him. He just gave her a sheepish, albeit somewhat nervous grin and shrugged. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're strange," she finally said and then slipped out of his bed as well.

"You think it's strange that I'm hungry?" he joked as they walked out of his bedroom. She made another face at him.

"Not exactly, no."

They both decided on their own not to mention their almost kiss. They were both slightly embarrassed, but for entirely different reasons. Casey was embarrassed because she had let herself believe that he had been intending to kiss her and Derek was embarrassed because he had chickened out at the last second, and he had no idea why.

------

"So, what are you going to make?"

"Cereal."

"That's not really making something, though, now is it? All you do is pour the cereal into a bowl and then add some milk."

"So? I don't care. It's what I'm hungry for."

"Seriously? That's it? Are you sure you don't want to added some, let's say…scrambled eggs, a little sausage and some chocolate chip pancakes to that list of things to…make?"

"Actually, no. I think I'm content with my selection. But _you_ feel free to cook that very appealing sounding meal. I'm sure it will be absolutely delicious."

"Yes, it will be…if _you_ cook it for me. Pretty please?"

"Derek, why do you constantly think that I'm just going to act like your maid, or in this case, your personal chef? My answer remains the same. I'm not going to cook you breakfast and I'm not going to serve you. Just like I wouldn't get you food last night. There are some things that even _you_ can handle on your own." He pouted at her, but she was determined not to let his face affect her. Just because she couldn't help but find his expression and the way his hair was sticking up every which way because of sleep completely adorable didn't mean that he was just going to get his way.

"But you almost made cookies last night, I know you like to cook," he protested.

"Yes, that's true, I do like to cook, but that's beside the point. Plus, you were supposed to be helping with the baking of the cookies."

"Yeah? Well, we both know what happened with that," he stated squarely.

------

Twenty minutes later, Derek was sitting contentedly at the counter with a plate stacked with four chocolate chip pancakes, four pieces of sausage and an overflowing amount of scrambled eggs on his plate. He covered everything with maple syrup and left a small space to fill with ketchup by his eggs.

Casey sat next to him eating her bowl of Lucky Charms. Every once in a while she would turn to look at his concoction and grimace a little. They ate in an oddly comfortable silence.

Still, neither of them had the guts to further discuss their "almost" moment nor all of the other moments that had happened the night before.

For some reason, Casey and Derek were acting shy around one another. It was like they were just tiptoeing around the fact that they liked each other and even the fact that they had both already practically admitted it.

But maybe that was part of the problem. Maybe they were both scared that the other was having second thoughts, possibly regretting the actions of the aforementioned night before. Either that or they both just cowards.

Sure, they were in a sticky situation, but when had talking ever been a problem between them? It was their number one tool of communication and yet, for some reason, they were both finding it hard to speak; at least about touchy subjects like scorching kisses in the upstairs bathroom, and on Casey's bed and an overnight snuggle in his.

In one night, their relationship had drastically changed and they didn't seem to know where to go from there.

It was Sunday. That meant that their parents would be arriving home sometime that night and their siblings, too, at different intervals throughout the day. That also meant that they only had a few precious hours alone to sort things out. To figure out what they were going to do about their…situation.

And what _were_ they going to do?

--------

"Derek, you can't make me." Her arms were crossed over her chest and she gave him a pointed look.

"Well, technically, I can. I'm pretty strong. I could pick you up easily and just carry you out." He flexed his arm for her and she rolled her eyes.

"You wouldn't…"

"I would," he confirmed.

"Well, just because you drag me out doesn't mean I'll stay."

"And just because you try to go back inside doesn't mean I'll let you."

"But…" she paused, and looked out the living room window. "It's cold," she whined and this time _he_ rolled his eyes.

"Yeah? We'll you'll get over it. Plus, that's why it's called bundling up, so that you stay warm." She still didn't look convinced. "Come on, Case. It'll be fun. You can't hate the outdoors that much."

"It's not that I hate the outdoors, or even the snow. I actually really like the snow. It's really pretty. I just…I don't know. I just kind of want to stay inside and finish my book. Make a cup of hot chocolate maybe."

_And basically just avoid you_, she thought.

She hated thinking it, but she was scared that spending more alone time with Derek would make her feel even more attached to him than she was already feeling, and she knew it wasn't a good thing. It couldn't be.

"Are you serious?" he asked. She nodded. "No way. You _have_ to be joking with me. You'd rather sit inside all day when you could be outside right now, running around in all of that perfectly new and fluffy snow?" His eyes were shining with delight and she couldn't help but laugh at his childish excitement.

"How old are you?" she asked. He grinned.

"Six."

She stared at him, trying to keep a straight face. He did the same. They just looked at each other for a few seconds but then, she cracked. She started to giggle. He was so ridiculous sometimes.

"What? I love the winter," he said after she had stopped laughing.

"I can tell." She still wasn't saying yes. He didn't like it.

"Casey, you might as well just agree right now, because you're coming out with me no matter what and we are going to go sledding and we are going to make a snowman and you are going to have fun."

"And?"

"And…I guess, if you come, I'll make you a nice hot cup of chocolate when we get back inside. But only if you get your little butt upstairs right now and change," he declared.

"But—"

"No buts. Go get changed. You're right. It _is_ cold out." She was about to protest again but he was already pushing her out of the living room and up the stairs. She tried to stand still but he kept his hands planted firmly on her back.

"De-_rek_!"

---------

Ten minutes later, Casey was stepping outside into the back yard. For some reason, Derek had convinced her to bundle up in long underwear, a sweater, snow pants, a winter coat, scarf, mittens and her favorite pink winter hat with earflaps and pom poms included.

She felt bloated.

When Derek saw that she had finally found her way outside, he debated whether or not he should immediately let her know where he was. After thinking it over for a moment, he came to his decision.

After being outside for a full minute and seeing no sign of Derek, Casey was about to call out to him, when a snowball came out of nowhere and hit her squarely of the side of her head. She turned in the direction it had come from and found Derek, all bundled up himself, bent over, laughing hysterically.

She glared at him.

"You did not just do that," she stated, taking a few unsteady steps towards him. It _had_ really snowed a lot and it wasn't exactly easy maneuvering her way over to him. He continued to laugh.

When she finally got close enough to him, he was surprised when she shoved two hands full of snow into his face and neck area.

"_Daamn_!" he shouted, wiping his face, just a little bit impressed with her efforts. Now she was doubled over laughing. He hadn't noticed her scooping up the snow as she paddled towards him.

_Well, she shall_ _pay_, he thought.

"What?" she asked, still laughing. "You thought I was just going to stand there and let you throw snowballs at my head? No way, Casey doesn't roll that way." She was shaking her head and motioning wildly with her mitten-clad hands.

"Yeah, well _Derek_ doesn't just let weak little girls shove snow in his face," he said as he stepped closer to her, bunching up snow in his fists as he did so, carefully shaping his next snowball.

"Weak little girl? Is that really all you've got?" she asked him. He was still making his snowball when she threw her own at his chest.

She squealed after she did so and then proceeded to run away from him in the opposite direction. He just scowled and chased after her, dropping the snow in his hand in the process.

"Oh no you don't!" he shouted, mere seconds behind her.

She kept running, making her way around their house until she ended up in front yard. From there she decided to continue her round and started to make her way back to the back of the house, when suddenly Derek caught up with her.

He ambushed her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist, ignoring her many protests, and lifting her up into the air, fully intending on dropping her nicely into the deep snow in front of him.

"Derek! What are you doing? Put me down!" she yelled, squirming around in his grasp. He just continued to walk forward until he found a nice pile of snow. Then, he neatly dropped her into it. She yelped and he smirked.

A second later, he found himself face down in the snow beside her. She had launched herself at his legs, and he had lost his balance.

"If I go down, _you_ go down," she stated, jumping on top of him. He vaguely wondered what her intentions were as she straddled his waist, but all thoughts left his head as she repeatedly shoved snow into his face.

"Oh, not cool, Casey! Not cool!" he hollered. She just giggled excitedly. That's when he decided that enough was enough.

He grabbed her wrists and before she understood what was going on, they had changed positions. Suddenly, she was the one lying on her back in the snow, and he was the one straddling her. She complained but he continued to hold her wrists down.

"There is no way you're getting away with that, Case. No, now you owe me."

"And what exactly do I owe you?" she asked. He stared down at her and she looked up at him. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and her hair was splayed out all around her head, wet from the snow. She looked so gorgeous to him in that moment that he couldn't help or even stop to think about what he was about to do as he slowly moved his head down towards her, this time fully intending on kissing her.

She realized what he was doing right away and her eyes widened in anticipation. The situation was so ideal. A sweet kiss in the snow. What girl didn't dream about this?

Right as his lips were about to touch hers, though, she moved her head, causing him to get a face full of her neck. He groaned. But then, unexpectedly, she was moving underneath him, and since he wasn't paying too much attention about keeping her pinned down anymore, she easily removed herself from him. Then, before he knew what was happening, she was on top of him once more.

Before he could question her actions, she was ripping off her mittens, throwing them haphazardly behind her, and then her hands were on either side of his face and she was kissing him.

She crashed her lips onto his over and over again and there they were, in the snow, on the side of their house, kissing passionately for all to see, if anyone was looking, that is. But no one was, and Derek was sure that he wouldn't have been able to stop kissing her even if his dad himself showed up right next to them and yelled. At that point in time, it was just the two of them and it was a perfect moment.

---------

A few minutes later, Casey tore her lips from his and was about to say something, but was distracted when he just moved his mouth to her neck, grabbing her scarf and throwing to the side, away from them; it was in the way. Then he turned them over again so that she was beneath him once more and she let him. She let him kiss her for a while but then remembered her thoughts.

"Derek," she mumbled. It was hard for her to speak when she was so out of breath.

"Yeah?" He didn't remove his lips from her neck. She moaned.

"Um, I think we need to agree on something, um, before we continue."

"What's that?" he asked as he moved back to her face, kissing her clumsily on her jaw and then the side of her lips and then back again fully on the mouth.

"Uh," she said between kisses, "I think we need to agree on, um, no regrets," she finally got out, and this stopped him. He paused, lifted his head and then gave her a questioning look.

"No regrets, huh?" She nodded, and he loved the way her mouth looked so…_kissed_ and kissable. So red and raw. He bent down to kiss her again. "No regrets," he repeated, this time as a statement, an agreement.

A few seconds later, it started to snow lightly.

They stayed outside for a while.

----------

A/N: Yay for Dasey!!! Please tell me what you think…I'd love to hear from you!


	12. if time could stop

Disclaimer: I don't own the show _Life With Derek_, or _Eve 6_, or the _Amber Pacific_ song: Poetically Pathetic, which I love oh so much (it's my ring tone **and** I wrote another LWD story based on it!).

A/N: Okay, so the first thing I would like to say is how devastated I am about Heath Ledger's death. I'm really sad, seriously.

But I can't dwell on that right now. I need to thank everyone for waiting so patiently for me to get this chapter out. I've been so busy and all. And thank you so much for your reviews! They made me really happy.

Here's the next chapter! It's not that great, but I hope you guys still enjoy it.

**--Beautiful Oblivion--**

Chapter Twelve: if time could stop, how can I make this more poetic?

While Derek worked hard in the kitchen, actually concocting the hot chocolate he had promised, Casey sat by herself on the couch, staring out the window. She had pulled the curtains back so that the room was filled with a bright, natural light. As she looked out into the winter wonderland that was outside, she couldn't keep the small smile on her face from turning into a full out grin. She was reminiscing about the new memories she and Derek had created in that very same winter wonderland a few minutes before.

It was crazy, she knew, their relationship and how much they'd changed it but at that moment in time, she knew she wanted it, wanted him.

It had been a long time since she had been kissed by a guy as fervently as Derek kissed her. Actually, when she really thought about it, she wasn't completely sure if she had ever really been kissed with quite as much passion and eagerness as with Derek. The closest would have to have been Sam when they'd first started dating, but she really didn't want to even think about him at the moment.

She still felt guilty. And confused. How could she just change her mind about Sam and liking him in a night? How could she change her mind about _Derek_ in just a night? What would people think? Her parents? Edwin, Lizzie and Marti? And what about their classmates? Especially Sam… and her best friend Emily.

Casey groaned and dropped her head into her hands. She rubbed at her temples but the questions just kept coming and coming and she was starting to get a major migraine.

_Oh gosh, Emily_, she thought_. I completely forgot about her. How is she going to react to this? She had the biggest crush on Derek up until like, sophomore year. _

Her smile slowly turned downward until she was frowning slightly, her mind was racing with all of her confusing thoughts and all she wanted to do at that moment was stop thinking, stop the guilt.

"What's with the face?" Derek asked as he bent over in front of her, offering a steaming mug of hot chocolate as he did so. She shook her head of the upsetting thoughts and forced a smile back on her face, then took the mug happily and shrugged.

"Not much. Just thinking about some stuff." Derek smirked.

"And by 'stuff' you mean me, right?" he asked as he sat down in his chair and got comfortable. She slapped at his knee.

"You wish."

"Well, _duh_." She shook her head at him.

"You see me frowning and hope I'm thinking about you?" she asked. "You're ridiculous."

"Oh don't pretend you weren't smiling like a kid on Christmas a few moments before I interrupted your little thought-fest. I saw you. You were grinning from ear to ear and I can only _assume_ you were thinking about moi."

She just rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, dude."

"_Okay_, then what _were_ you thinking about?" he asked her as he tried a sip of his hot chocolate. It was too soon. The tip of his tongue was tingling now with a fresh burn. Casey was wisely just holding her mug close her mouth, but she was just blowing at it, careful not to take the first sip until it had cooled down enough.

"I'm just thinking about…our friends and family, our parents mostly. Their reactions and whatnot." It was sort of the truth. She _was_ worried about reactions.

Derek nodded when she admitted this.

"And what's the consensus?"

"I think they'll have heart attacks if they knew what we did this weekend."

"Yes, I can understand why they might react that way," he nodded thoughtfully. "_Or_… they'll be ecstatic that we…got along so well," he said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Casey narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yeah right. You're _so_ funny. Don't make jokes about this. This is a serious situation we've landed ourselves in."

"Casey, I don't understand what the big deal is."

"Are you joking?" she asked him, giving him an incredulous look. He at least had the decency to look a little perplexed.

"Well, I mean, I understand the 'deal' but I honestly don't think it will come off as such a big shock to the people who know us well enough, like our family for instance. They probably saw this coming a mile ago."

"I don't know what you mean…"

"Especially Edwin and Lizzie," he continued as if she hadn't spoken. "They've probably been betting on us for a while now."

"Once again, I'm confused. Care to explain further?"

"What I mean is, I think your little crush on me was pretty obvious to everyone in this house. Well, except to _me_, maybe."

A second later, when the pillow crashed over his face and then was pounded on his body in several different places repeatedly, he admitted to himself that maybe he deserved it.

"_My_ obvious crush?" Casey asked in amazement. "Up until yesterday I thought I was going to be starting things up again with Sam!" she practically screeched at him. Derek's color changed when she said this. "Up until _yesterday_ I thought I might like him again!"

"Yeah, well thank God for snow storms," he muttered quietly.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"No, what did you say?" she restated. He rubbed his temples with his forefingers and let out a low growl.

"It's not important."

"I beg to differ."

"Just drop it, okay?"

"Are we going to start fighting again already?"

"Looks like it."

"Well that just _sucks_. I was kind of enjoying our 'let's be nice to each other' period."

He couldn't help what he said next, even if he was a little pissed at her.

"There are other ways that we can be nice to one another that has nothing to do with talking pleasantries," he said, and decided that maybe he didn't want to continue fighting with her. He even motioned with is thumb to the stairs. She gave him a disgusted look and stood up.

"Oh, you're unbearable."

"Unbearably cute?" he asked her with a lopsided grin.

"You did not just say that," she said as she stomped into the kitchen. He winced.

"Yeah, not my best moment." Then he groaned and got out of his chair to follow her to the kitchen. He sipped his hot chocolate as he walked over to her and spilled half of it down the front of his shirt in the process.

"Wow, you're a mess."

"I meant to do that."

"You did not. You're just clumsy."

"Are you seriously trying to call _me_ clumsy, Klutzilla?"

"Ugh, you know I hate it when you call me that."

"Well I hate it when I want to kiss you and you keep being a bitch." Her eyes widened in anger and surprise when he said this.

"Oh, and you thought that was going to get you anywhere?"

"Well from my experience this is the part where you grab me and have your way with me." Her jaw dropped when he said this and she let out a small growl, or maybe it was a hiss, either way, he knew she was pissed.

"That's what you'd like me to do, wouldn't you, Venturi?" she spat. "Well, I'm sorry to say that I'm actually quite disgusted with you right now. And you expect me to kiss you when you're being such a jerk?"

"You like it."

"You know me so well."

"That I do."

Some how during their short exchange they ended up face to face, only inches apart and even though Casey was still annoyed with him, she really did have this ridiculous urge to grab his collar and kiss him. So that's exactly what she did.

--

"I think I have a problem," said Casey, breathing heavily. Her forehead was pressed against Derek's and he seemed to be having just as much trouble as her with his breathing.

They were still in the kitchen and they had been kissing for about five minutes.

"I would have to agree. Apparently you only like to make out with me after we've both been yelling at each other."

"Ugh," she groaned. "You're revelation doesn't help me. What am I going to do?"

"I suppose we could try something new," he said. She gave him an inquisitive look.

"And what exactly do you have in mind?"

"I guess I could try saying something nice," he cringed a little when he said this, "to you and then you could try to do the same to me."

"I don't understand where you're going with this and how this is going to help me with my problem, _you_."

"Well, after we do this, then we can try to make out again."

Casey pulled away from him and bit her lip, but he knew she was considering what he was proposing.

"Well…" she started, but he cut her off.

"I've always thought you were pretty, even when we first met, but every time I would think it, I'd kind of mentally kick myself and then stop thinking it. But it didn't stop it from being true to me. I just sort of had to get over the fact that you were pretty. You were still a freak to me."

He realized then that even though he was being honest and trying to tell her something nice, maybe calling her a freak in the process wasn't the best way to go about it. He tried to fix it.

"A freak with pretty hair and pretty eyes and a nice…" he almost said "ass" but decided to stop, "you know, nose."

Throughout his entire little speech Casey just stood there and listened to him silently. She let herself react to his words with her facial expressions, ranging from shock, to happiness, to shock again and maybe a little annoyance, but when he said "nose" she had to speak up.

"You did not just compliment my nose."

"I think I did."

"Yeah, maybe, but that's not what you were thinking. Come on, go ahead. We're being honest here. Say what you were going to say."

"No."

"Aww, come on. Why not?" she teased, stepping closer to him again.

"If I say what I was going to say, you're just going to get mad at me and then my idea won't work…so, I'm not going to say another word." She stared at him to see if he would break, but he just nodded his head to confirm that he was done speaking.

"So I guess it's my turn?" He nodded again. "Fine. Okay. Let's see, something nice to say to Derek…" She pretended to think really hard and started to laugh when he frowned at her. "Don't worry, don't worry. I'll think of something. Like, okay, since we're being honest, I can tell you that when I first met you, I really didn't understand why every girl around you seemed to think you were so good looking—"

"Wait a second, how is this supposed to be nice?" he interrupted her. She rolled her eyes. "And stop rolling your eyes at me. I'm serious."

"Just hold on, okay? I'm getting there. Anyways, even though I couldn't understand it then, after a while, I started to get why all the girls thought you were cute, on the outside. But that was it. After a few months of living together I decided that you _were_ pretty cute, but I still didn't like you or your personality."

"But you feel differently now, right?" he asked, smirking down at her. Her pause made him frown again.

"Sure," she said, not very convincingly.

"Right, because that makes me feel better."

"Oh, come on, Derek. Don't even pretend that you like me completely the way I am. I know you still think I'm a keener grade grubbing Klutzilla. And plus, your compliments were completely vain, 'You're pretty, I like you, blah, blah, blah," she imitated.

"That may be true but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate you for the way you are, now at least. I find your annoyingness slightly endearing and cute. You always know what you want and stand up for yourself even when I'm being the biggest jack ass to you. You're a strong person and I admire you for that." She couldn't help but smile at his words.

"That was kind of sweet, Derek. Nice even."

"Yeah? Well don't get used to it. I take it back. This saying nice things to one another isn't going to work. You were right."

"Aww, don't be like that. Here, I have something else to say. I really like how sweet you can be with Marti and how amazing you are at hockey."

"You think I'm amazing at hockey?" he asked, his eye brow raised. "You've only been to like, a couple of my games."

"Yeah, but it's obvious how good you are." She could tell she was feeding his ego the way he started to grin at her.

"Go on."

"Well, I like that you're so good at hockey because, um, apparently I'm really into jocks," she finished lamely.

"Right, I don't really want to hear about that," he said.

"It's not a big deal; I was just making a statement. Sam plays hockey with you and I really liked him, and Max, well, he's the captain of the football team, I and I _really_ liked him."

"I'd really rather not hear about your old boyfriends, thanks," he said and he crossed his arms across his chest as he did so. She couldn't help it; she started to giggle at his obvious jealously.

"Seriously, Derek, chill out. I like _you_ now. Me mentioning your hockey skills was supposed to be a nice thing. It wasn't supposed to make you act all pissy at me."

"I am not acting all pissy."

"You kind of are," she said and started to laugh again. He rolled his eyes and started to walk away from her.

"Wait!" she grabbed his arm just as he was about to leave the kitchen. She made him turn around and face her and then she stood on her tip toes and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I'm sorry if I got you all angry. I think you have nice hair." Her plan of aversion worked. He grinned down at her once more.

"I do have nice hair."

Just as he was about to lean down and kiss her once more, they heard the front door open and watched as Edwin walked in.

"I'm home!" he called out, throwing his sleepover bag to the floor.

"Great," said Derek just as Casey walked into the living room to greet his brother.

"Hey, Edwin!" she exclaimed at him, plastering a great big smile on her face.

--

A/N: I'm going to go cry now. RIP, Heath. RIP.


End file.
